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Hiated,  Loiulon 


MAJOR  WILLARD  STRAIGHT 


WILLARD  STRAIGHT  IN  THE  ORIENT 


WITH   ILLUSTRATIONS    FROM   HIS   SKETCH-BOOKS 


By 


LOUIS    GRAVES 


NEW  YORK 

ASIA  PUBLISHING   COMPANY 

1922 


Reprinted  from 

ASIA 

The  American   Magazine  on   the   Orient 
Copyright  1921,  1922 


FOREWORD 


One  who  had  never  been  in  the  East  could  hardly  have  presumed  to  attempt 
this  chronicle  had  it  not  been  for  the  letters  and  diaries  of  Willard  Straight  and 
the  generous  help  of  men  and  women  who  were  with  him  in  China  and  Korea 
and  Manchuria.  These  documents  and  the  recollections  of  these  friends  are 
responsible,  as  the  reader  will  promptly  discover  from  the  abundant  quotations, 
for  whatever  of  oriental  atmosphere  has  been  imparted  to  the  narrative.  The 
book  is  a  work  not  so  much  of  authorship  as  of  selection  and  arrangement. 

My  own  acquaintance  with  Willard  Straight  began  about  a  year  before  the 
entrance  of  America  into  the  world  war,  when  I  was  associated  with  him  in  one 
of  the  citizens'  movements  for  preparedness.  All  who  came  in  close  contact 
with  him  cherished  for  him  both  admiration  and  affection,  and  I  was  like 
the  rest.  Such  an  attachment  naturally  caiTied  with  it  a  lively  interest  in  his 
career— a  career  which  was  known  to  have  been  charged  with  romance  but 
which,  one  felt  certain,  held  far  more  of  the  picturesque  and  exciting,  of  large 
vision,  high  idealism  and  tireless  energy  behind  them,  than  had  ever  yet  been 
told. 

So,  when  there  fell  to  me  the  opportunity  to  go  deep  into  the  records  of  this 
stirring  life,  I  greeted  that  opportunity  as  a  rare  privilege.  Letters,  diaries 
and  memoranda  yielded  detailed  accounts  of  Straight's  intercourse  with  all 
manner  of  men,  high  and  low— mandarins,  rickshaw  coolies,  admirals  and 
generals,  Buddhist  priests,  artists  and  newspaper  correspondents,  princes, 
cabinet  ministers,  diplomats,  explorers,  missionaries,  engineers,  railroad  mag- 
nates, financiers.  Old  friends  of  his  told  me  of  talks  they  had  had  and  trips 
they  had  made  with  him;  of  his  negotiations  with  subtle  Chinese  officials  and, 
sometimes,  perhaps,  still  more  subtle  Europeans;  of  his  tireless  energy,  his 
hopefulness  and  buoyancy,  and  his  consideration  for  the  humble  and  unfor- 
tunate. Of  all  this  volume  of  reminiscence  the  sketch  that  follows  is  only  a 
skimming. 

For  their  aid  to  me  in  the  preparation  of  the  memoir  I  am  particularly 
grateful  to  Mrs.  Straight,  Maurice  Casenave,  J.  0.  P.  Bland,  E.  T.  ^^iilianls, 
Robert  H.  Patchin,  E.  Carleton  Baker,  Louis  D.  Froelick,  R.  M.  Collins' 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  F.  Spinney,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  J.  N.  Gattrell  and  Lewis  Palen! 

Louis  Graves 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I  PAGE 

First  Days  In  Peking 1 

CHAPTER  II 
A  Diary  of  Peking 10 

CHAPTER  III 
War  Correspondent 18 

CHAPTER  IV 
At  the  Legation  in  Korea 27 

CHAPTER  V 
Consul-General  at  Mukden 36 

CHAPTER  VI 
Far  Eastern  Finance 46 

CHAPTER  VII 
The  Chinese  Currency  Loan 53 

CHAPTER  VIII 
The  Revolution 61 

CHAPTER  IX 
Home  from  China 68 


Chapter  I 
FIRST  DAYS  IN  PEKING 


A  TALL,  blond  youriR  man  with  an  eager  mind,  a 
talent  for  drawing,  and  a  lively  taste  for  good  com- 
pany, was  graduated  from  Cornell  University  in 
the  year  1901.  For  all  his  love  for  the  passing  joys  of 
life — gatherings  of  congenial  spirits,  music,  plays,  danc- 
ing, sport — he  was  ambitious.  Yet  he  was  in  the  uncom- 
fortable position  of  not  knowing  where  his  ambition  lay. 
Stirring  within  him  was  a  restless  urge,  an  impulse  to 
hard  work  combined  with  revolt  against  the  common- 
place. He  wanted  the  kind  of  success  that  other  men 
wanted;  but  he  was  determined,  without  knowing  how  it 
was  to  be  brought  about,  that  the  route  to  the  goal  should 
not  lead  over  the  monotonous  plain  of  every  day,  but 
among  unexpected  hills  and  valleys  of  high  adventure. 

At  college,  Willard  Straight  had  been  one  of  a  group  of 
undergraduates  who  gathered  fortnightly  in  the  big 
book-lined,  smoke-filled  study  of  Henry  Morse  Stephens, 
then  professor  of  history.  Morse  Stephens,  who  came  of 
a  family  of  Anglo-Indians,  e.xerted  the  strongest  influence 
upon  Straight  at  Cornell.  The  two  came  to  associate  on 
familiar  terms  like  chums  of  the  same  age.  Professor 
Stephens  was  steeped  in  Asian  lore  and  tradition.  One 
of  his  hobbies  was  Kipling,  and  they  used  to  read  Kipling 
together  and  thence  drift  into  talk  of  the  East. 

In  Straight's  senior  year,  President  Schurman  received 
a  letter  from  Sir  Robert  Hart,  inspector-general  of  the 
Chinese  Imperial  Maritime  Customs,  asking  him  to 
select  three  students  for  entrance  into  the  service.  He 
passed  on  the  request  to  Professor  Stephens,  whose  first 
choice  was  Straight.  Much  as  the  offer  tempted  him. 
Straight  hesitated,  because  he  had  planned  to  be  an 
architect  and  he  feared  that  if  he  turned  from  that  pur- 
pose he  might  disappoint  his  foster  parents,  who  had 
sacrificed  much  for  him. 

Both  his  parents  had  been  teachers;  more  than  that, 
scholars,  eager  for  new  ideas  and  able  to  pass  them  on  to 
others  with  added  vitality.  His  father,  Henry  H. 
Straight,  was  first  a  devotee  of  languages  and  a  teacher 
of  Latin  and  Greek.  But  he  turned  to  science  and,  as 
a  pupil  of  Agassiz,  received  the  inspiration  that  guided 
him  through  life.  Willard  Straight's  mother  was  temper- 
amentally an  artist.  She  loved  poetry,  pictures — beauty 
in  all  its  forms — above  all  else,  people.  While  she  and  her 
husband  were  both  members  of  the  faculty  of  the  Normal 
School  at  Oswego,  New  York,  Willard,  their  only  son, 
was  born,  on  January  31,  1880.  In  the  spring  of  1887, 
shortly  after  the  death  of  his  father,  his  mother  took  Wil- 
lard and  his  sister  to  Tokyo,  where  she  became  the  head 
of  a  department  in  the  Girls'  Normal  School.  In  two 
years  she  returned  to  America,  in  broken  health,  and 
died.  The  two  children  were  taken  in  charge  by  Dr. 
Elvire  Ranier  and  Miss  Laura  R.  Newkirk  of  Oswego, 
who  had  been  friends  of  their  parents. 

After  consulting  them  about  the  call  from  the  East, 
Straight  decided  to  go.  Thus  he  embarked  upon  the 
career  that  was  to  reveal  to  him  the  complex  spirit  of  the 


East  as  it  has  been  revealed  to  few  men.  He  was  to  see 
at  close  quarters  in  Peking  the  cauldron  of  foreign  in- 
trigue; to  have  a  part  in  the  most  bizarre  and  fascinating 
social  life  to  be  found  in  any  of  the  world's  capitals; 
to  go  to  the  Russo-Japanese  War  as  a  newspaper  cor- 
respondent and  to  Manchuria  as  the  first  American  con- 
sul general.  And  finally,  he  was  to  be  distinguished  as  the 
leading  advocate  of  American  activity  in  the  East.  He 
died  in  France  at  the  end  of  the  Great  War,  before  he  was 
forty  years  old. 

He  was  twenty-nine  when  he  was  appointed  represen- 
tative of  the  American  group  of  bankers  associated  with 
the  British,  French  and  German  groups  in  working  out  a 
plan  for  loans  to  China.  His  creative  imagination  was 
directed  toward  bringing  about  American  participation 
in  a  plan  that  would  apply  foreign  capital  to  China  and 
at  the  same  time  make  China  a  favored  partner  in  her 
own  development  and  not  a  victim  of  foreign  spheres  of 
influence.  He  did  not  live  to  see  his  vision  realized,  but 
the  Consortium  of  the  United  States,  Great  Britain, 
France  and  Japan,  recently  concluded  by  Thomas  W. 
Lamont  for  financing  and  stabilizing  China — and  per- 
haps thereby  forestalling  war  in  the  Far  East — is  the 
fulfilment  of  the  conception  he  spent  the  best  effort  of 
his  life  in  developing.  Those  tedious  loan  negotiations  of 
1909,  1910  and  1911,  in  which  Straight  took  so  prominent 
a  part  as  the  spokesman  of  American  policy,  years  before 
statesmen  had  talked  seriously  of  a  league  of  nations, 
pointed  the  way  to  true  international  cooperation. 

But  the  Willard  Straight  who  sailed  for  the  Far  East 
in  November  of  1901  foresaw  none  of  this.  He  was  a 
healthy,  normal  American  youth  with  healthy,  normal 
tastes — blithe,  frank,  companionable.  And  the  Asia 
whither  he  was  bound  was  not  that  of  concession  hunters; 
it  was  the  Asia  of  romance. 

In  January,  1902,  he  arrived  in  China.  The  Chinese 
Imperial  Maritime  Customs  Service  was  then  at  the 
height  of  its  prestige.  It  had  been  de\'ised  and  developed 
and  was  now  ruled,  to  the  last  detail,  by  Sir  Robert  Hart, 
who  bore  the  title  of  Inspector  General.  A  British  sub- 
ject. Sir  Robert  high-handedly  declined  to  permit  the 
British  Government  to  direct  his  policy.  Under  this 
benevolent  despot,  the  service  was  operated  for  and  on 
behalf  of  China,  with  an  international  personnel. 

Straight's  first  duty  was  to  learn  the  language  at  Nan- 
king, where,  in  an  atmosphere  free  from  distracting 
foreign  associations,  the  neophytes  in  the  Customs  Serv- 
ice— one  Austrian,  two  Frenchmen,  two  Englishmen,  be- 
sides Straight — could  devote  themselves  to  mastering  the 
Chinese  tongue.  "The  students'  mess  of  the  Chinese 
Customs  studies  and  rides  and  swears  as  it  jolly  well 
pleases,"  wrote  Straight.  But  there  was  a  lot  of  hard 
work.  Every  morning  the  native  teacher  came,  wreathed 
in  smiles  and  heartily  shaking  his  own  hands.  "The 
morning  work  drags  on — "  wrote  the  pupil,  "the  teacher 
sighing  now  and  then  when  one  says  chan  for  shan  or  uses 


1 


an  even  tone  instead  of  a  rising  or  a 
falling  one.  He  smokes  innumer- 
able cigarettes,  at  the  expense  of 
the  student,  and  drinks  great  quan- 
tities of  tea — or  whiskey  if  the  pupil 
is  at  all  'easy'.  He  asks  questions 
about  your  father  and  mother  and 
sisters  and  brothers  and  if  he  can't 
make  himself  understood  will  go  to 
the  dictionary  and  point  out  the 
characters.  Any  photographs  of 
pretty  girls  that  you  may  happen  to 
have  about  as  mementos  of  bygone 
days,  he  will  scan  eagerly  and  in- 
quire about  their  history,  past,  pres- 
ent and  future,  and  ask  which  one  is 
your  wife.  You  in  the  meantime 
are  learning  Chinese,  or  trying  to." 

In  the  afternoon  another  teacher 
came;  for  it  was  a  rule  that  each 
student  should  have  two  instructors 
as  a  precaution  against  any  one 
mannerism  of  speech.  First  came 
speaking,  then  reading  and,  lastly, 
writing,  in  the  same  order,  day  after 
day.  To  the  morning  and  after- 
noon sessions  under  native  guidance, 
the  more  ambitious  men  added  an 
hour  or  two  of  evening  study  by 
themselves. 

"Were  one  to  work  eight  hours  a 
day  at  any  ordinary  and  respectaVile 
language,"  Straight  wrote  in  his 
diary,  "the  end  of  six  months  would 
show  some  appreciable  progress. 
Not  so  Chinese.  Half  a  year  is  but 
the  thin  edge  of  the  wedge. 

"The  work  is  very  hard  and  very  / 
confining.  I  am  first  put  to  learn- 
ing the  'Radicals',  a  group  of  219 
characters,  which  are  used  as  the 
basis  of  the  language.  I  must 
commit  them  to  memory.  Then  I 
must  practice  the  tones.  I  must 
spend  an  hour  or  two  a  day  in  going 
over  and  over  a  series  of  rising  and 
falling,  stretched-out  and  clipped- 
off  monosyllables,  which  the  teacher 
drones  out  to  be  imitated  as  nearly 
as  possible.  Anyone  dropping  in  at 
the  Cu.stoms  College  would  think  himself  in  an  asylum 
of  particularly  hopeless  lunatics,  so  great  is  the  hubbub 
and  the  barking  of  strange,  unearthly  noises." 

Off  duty,  Straight  began  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance 
of  Chinese  priests  and  officials  and  merchants.  He 
practiced  his  ear  and  tongue  in  talking  with  them  and 
drew  from  them,  at  the  .same  time,  their  ideas  on  educa- 
tion and  government,  their  opinion  of  foreigners,  and 
stories  of  their  families  and  their  l)UKiness  affairs.  He 
haunted  the  shops  and  bargained  with  the  shopkeepers; 
he  walked  in  the  village.s  and  learned  the  ways  of  the 
farmers.  Thus,  here  in  Nanking,  he  was  already  acquiring, 
by  the  most  direct  and  sympathetic  methods,  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  Chinese;  and  he  was  not  only  learning 
to  respect  them  but  was  winning  their  admiration  at  the 


same  time.  It  was  through  his  ob- 
vious frankness,  his  genuine  regard 
for  them,  his  treatment  of  them  as 
equals,  that  he  made  friends  of  Chi- 
nese as  he  made  friends  of  Amer- 
icans and  British  and  French. 

"The  commonly  accepted  idea  of 
a  Chinaman  may  be  that  he  is  a 
phlegmatic  and  rather  sober-sided 
sort  of  person,"  he  wrote  in  his  diary 
soon  after  his  arrival.  "Such,  how- 
ever, is  not  the  case,  as  anyone  who 
has  watched  him  on  his  holidays 
will  know.  Whether  the  Dragon 
Feast,  the  second  largest  festival  of 
the  year,  turns  out  to  be  a  splendid 
pageant  or  a  tawdry  imitation  de- 
pends entirely  on  the  generosity  of 
the  local  merchants.  But  even  if 
the  spectacle  itself  be  small,  the 
crowds  are  as  interested  and  ex- 
cited as  if  it  were  Barnum's 
Greatest  Show  on  Earth. 

"Through  the  northern  part 
of  the  great  walled  enclosure,  in 
the  heart  of  the  city  proper, 
there  runs  a  small  canal  and  on 
this  the  dragon  boats  raced  to 
and  fro.  At  the  bow  of  an  or- 
dinary sampan  a  dragon's  head 
had  been  constructed,  a  dread- 
ful thing  of  glaring  red  and 
green,  glittering  with  gold  and 
silver  and  tinsel  joss  paper.  In 
the  bow  was  the  cox'n,  holding 
two  small  red  flags  which  he 
waved  frantically  as  he  timed 
the  stroke  of  his  crew,  who  were 
urged  on  by  the  banging  of  cym- 
bals in  the  stern.  The  men 
were  all  half-naked,  their  queues 
wound  around  their  shaven 
heads,  and  they  wielded  short 
paddles. 

"On  either  side,  the  tea-shops 
and  the  verandas  of  private 
houses  were  full  of  holiday  folk. 
Great  strings  of  fire-crackers 
hung  suspended  from  the  bal- 
conies and  banged  and  popped 
and  fizzled  away  as  they  dropped  in  the  water  below. 
Save  for  the  open  course  in  the  middle,  the  stream  was 
alive  with  craft;  little  boats  for  the  poorer  classes,  barges, 
lavishly  decorated  and  carved,  for  the  opulent — nabobs, 
clad  in  purple  and  white  and  green  robes,  who  sat  fanning 
themselves  and  drinking  tea  or  gambling  and  gazing  im- 
pudently at  the  crowds  of  painted  women  in  the  Ijalconies 
above. 

"Opposite  the  Fu-tze  Miao,  a  huge,  red-walled  temple, 
the  crowd  was  at  its  best.  Peep-show  men  yelled  out  the 
attraction  of  their  evil  pictures.  Candy  peddlers  cried 
their  wares.  Beneath  an  awning  was  a  book-shop  with 
the  Chinese  counterpart  of  our  penny-dreadful  novels. 
Crowding  the  literary  man  was  a  peddler,  the  dirty  grease 
standing  in   his  black  kettles  as   he  concocted    fritters 


A  MONGOL  LAMA 


of  various  kinds  for  the  passing 
crowd.  Hard  by  was  a  Taoist 
priest  telling  fortunes  by  drawing 
sticks  from  a  jar  farther  on  a  ven- 
der of  cheap  cigarettes  in  American 
boxes.  Then  came  the  story-tel- 
ler's booth,  with  the  cheerful  liar 
sitting  at  a  table,  fanning  himself, 
gesticulating,  winking,  smiling,  og- 
ling. Fakirs  are  the  same  the 
world  over.  Worldly-wise,  clever, 
brazen-faced,  he  yarned  on  and  on, 
and  the  gaping  crowd  sat  around  on 
benches  and  listened. 

"Such  was  the  Dragon  Feast,  a 
poor  thing  as  far  as  the  dragons 
were  concerned,  but  a  wonderful 
melee  of  humanity — merrymakers 
all,  like  a  circus  crowd,  drunk  and 
sober,  strenuously  pursuing  the 
wily  god  of  pleasure,  bent  on  catch- 
ing him  if  they  sweated  themselves 
to  death  in  the  effort." 

Full  as  his  hours  were,  Straight 
found  time  for  drawing  and  paint- 
ing as  well  as  for  keeping  the  viv- 
idly detailed  journal  of  his  daily 
experiences.  When  he  went 
through  the  streets  of  Nanking  or 
visited  temples  or  traveled  up  or 

down  the  Yangtze  in  a  native  river-boat,  he  made  pic- 
tures of   his   native   acquaintances  as  he  laughed   and 
chatted  with  them.     His  water-colors  and  sketches  even 
of  that  early  period  are  of  people,  not  things,  done  with 
the  sympathetic  insight  he  was  gaining  from  personal 
association.     The   aged   and   dried-up   lamas   whom   he 
found  about  temples  interested  him  perhaps  more  than 
any  other  characters  among  the  Chi- 
nese.    He  was  extremely  sensitive  to 
the  atmosphere  that  surrounded  the 
religion   of  the   Chinese   and  he   de- 
lighted in  roaming  through  the  tem- 
ples, staring  at  the  images  and  altars, 
seeking  to  work  out  the  meaning  of 
inscriptions  and  listening  to  his  guides 
tell  legends  of  the  old  China  that  no 
white  man  ever  trod.     With  his  ad- 
miration,    his     reverence     for     aged 
things,  was  always  curiously  mingled 
an    ultra-modern,    whimsical    mood. 
In  the  midst  of  a  serious  account  of 
his  rambles  in   Taoist  and  Buddhist 
monasteries,  for  instance,  he  pauses 
to  describe — with  evident  pleasure  in 
its  grotesqueness  —  "a  gilded  wooden 
Buddha  with  white  horse-hair  beard, 
sitting  stolidly  on  a  blue  cow — a  most 
disreputable-looking  cow  showdng  its 
teeth  in  a  fascinating  grin  and  turning 
its  head  as  if  it  would  like  to  devour 
its  lord  and  master." 

All  this  time,  although  he  was  una- 
ware of  it,  he  was  being  watched  by 
the  old  man  in  the  headquarters  of  the 
Imperial  Maritime  Customs  Service 


RIVER   COOLIE 


MONGOLIAN   CAMELS 


in  Peking.  For  it  was  part  of  Sir 
Robert's  creed  to  keep  track  of  the 
new  men  introduced  into  the  Serv- 
ice. Always  he  had  his  special 
uses  for  exceptional  talent,  and  his 
subordinates  sent  to  him  regular 
reports  on  the  progress  of  the  stu- 
dents at  Nanking.  In  the  spring 
an  examination  was  held.  In  all 
branches  of  the  language  Straight 
stood  first.  As  he  wandered  about 
among  the  people,  talking  with 
them  in  temple  courtyard,  mud- 
walled  village  and  dusty  street- 
shop,  he  had  been  acquiring  facility 
in  speaking.  But  first  rank  in 
reading  and  writing  surprised  him, 
since  he  had  slighted  these  subjects 
for  conversation  with  the  folk  of 
street  and  countryside.  The  ex- 
cellence of  his  performance  w-on 
him  the  distinction  of  a  transfer  to 
Peking,  the  most  sought-after  as- 
signment in  the  Service.  When  he 
called  at  headquarters,  Sir  Robert 
encouraged  him  to  talk,  all  the 
while  looking  him  over  keenly, 
and  promptly  appointed  him  one 
of  his  personal  aides. 

For  the  next  two  years,  Willard 
Straight  was  an  intimate  of  Sir  Robert's  household.  He 
became  an  active  participant  in  the  social  life  of  the  dip- 
lomatic circle — Sir  Robert  was  the  leader  of  the  foreign 
colony  in  Peking- -and  was  an  interested  observer  of  the 
moves  and  counter-moves  in  the  game  of  intrigue  that 
was  to  reach  a  climax  in  the  Russo-Japanese  War. 

To  a  spirited  youth  with  a  fondness  for  art,  no  place 
in  all  the  world  could  have  l^een  more 
fascinating  than   the    Peking   of  the 
first   years    of    this    century.     When 
Willard  Straight   came  there  in  the 
spring   of    1902.    the    Boxer   uprising 
was  past,  and  the  foreign  population, 
protected  by   an   international   mili- 
tary force,  was  quite  safe.     The  siege 
of  the  legations  was  a  memory,  but 
a  vivid  one.     There   was  no   actual 
danger;    yet    there    was    the    zestful 
sense  of  living  on  the  perilous  edge  of  ci\alization. 
Two  worlds  mixed  there.     In  the  heart  of  the 
Tartar  city   dwelt  the   foreign   colony,   its  few 
thousands  but  a  handful  among  the  multitude  of 
Chinese.     It  was  made  up  of  eight  contingents 
of  legation  guards,  banking  and  merchant  folk, 
missionaries,   holders   and   would-be   holders  of 
concessions,  newspaper  correspondents,  and,  top- 
ping them  all,  the  diplomatic  set  and  the  official 
family  of  the  Inspector-General  of  the  Imperial 
Maritime  Customs. 

It  was  a  brilliant,  cosmopolitan  circle,  gay  and 
sparkling  on  the  surface,  not  without  its  element 
of  sincerity  and  high  endeavor,  yet  concealing 
powerful  currents  of  artifice  and  intrigue.  Dip- 
lomats ate  and  drank  together,  paid  compli- 
ments to  one  another  with  bows  and  smiles — and 


{'' 


then  withdrew  to  their  se- 
cret chambers  to  receive 
reports  from  spying  subor- 
dinates, and  form  new  plans 
for  outdoing  one  another  in 
the  game  of  despoiling 
China.  Already — as  a  few, 
though  only  a  few,  realized 
then — the  coil  was  being 
wound  which  was  to  spring 
loose  two  years  later  and 
set  at  war  Japan  and  Russia, 
the  two  chief  players  in  this 
deadly  game. 

Straight,  "student  inter- 
preter", fresh  from  provin- 
cial Nanking,  was  too  intel- 
ligent not  to  see  that  big 
forces  were  at  grips  under- 
neath the  surface  of  foreign 
life  in  Peking.  And  he  never 
let  slip  a  chance  to  speculate 
upon  the  meaning  of  the 
hidden  activity.  But  it 
takes  a  little  time,  even  for 
the  most  engaging  of  men, 
to  be  let  in  as  a  close  ob- 
server of  the  diplomatic 
conflict. 

"It  was  at  one  of  the  gar- 
den parties  that  Sir  Robert 
Hart  gave  every  Wednes- 
day to  the  diplomatic  cir- 
cle," writes  Maurice  Case- 
nave,  in  1902  the  French 
charije  d'affaires  at  Peking, 
telling  of  his  first  meeting  with  Straight,  "that  I  saw  a 
blond  young  man  come  in,  very  tall,  very  slight,  and  very 
much  at  his  ease  a  happy,  good-looking  fellow  whose 
fresh  color  lent  a  particularly  attractive  quality  to  his 
face  and  distinguished  him  from  men  who  had  lived  some 
time  in  China  and  taken  on  the  Chinese  hue.  He  was 
dressed  entirely  in  brown,  with  a  big  brown  sombrero. 
Sir  Robert  introduced  him  to  me,  saying,  'This  is  my 
private  secretary.' 

"Then  I  talked  with  him,  and  he  told  me  of  his  studies 
in  Nanking  and  how  he  had  been  transferred  to  the  capi- 
tal to  take  up  his  new  duties.  Only  those  who  know  the 
China  of  that  period  will  understand  how  rare  an  honor 
it  was  to  have  been  called  into  such  personal  relations 
with  his  chief.  For  Sir  Robert  was  noted  for  being  a 
splendid  judge  of  men,  and  when  he  had  to  select  a  private 
secretary  he  combed  the  Service  for  the  keenest  mind  and 
the  most  forceful  personality." 

For  his  staff  Sir  Robert  claimed,  and  to  it  was  accorded, 
the  official  and  social  status  of  a  diplomatic  service.  In- 
deed, the  standing  of  the  Imperial  Maritime  Customs 
Service  was  higher,  actually,  if  not  technically,  than  that 
of  a  legation;  for  its  distinctive  record  of  service,  its  aloof- 
ness from  international  squabbles,  its  unique  position  as 
a  powerful  partner  of  the  Imperial  Court,  gave  it  a  dig- 
nity all  its  own.  So  Sir  Robert's  dinners  and  dances  and 
garden-parties  were  the  main  events  of  the  social  season. 
Straight's  comment  upon  him  is  on  record  in  this  Ijrief 


THE   CHEERFUL   LIAR 


form:  "Sir  Robert  Hart,  quaint,  shy,  powerful;  a  despot, 
fond  of  children  and  of  ladies;  silent  and  doing  unexpected 
things.     Above  all,  a  tremendous  worker." 

The  Customs  establishment,  including  the  Inspector 
General's  own  residence,  was  on  the  side  of  the  Legation 
Quarter  nearest  the  Forbidden  City.  Here,  in  what  was 
known  as  the  Junior  Mess,  in  an  old,  low-lying  Chinese 
building.  Straight  lived.  For  companions  he  had  Kuro- 
sawa, a  Japanese;  Konowalof,  a  Russian;  Maas,  a  Hol- 
lander; and  Prince  Rospigliosi,  an  Italian.  This  mingling 
of  nationalities  endowed  their  intercourse  with  a  never- 
ending  variety — each  of  them  was  to  the  others  an  un- 
known mental  and  spiritual  land.  Not  always  did  they 
rub  each  other  the  right  way;  but,  for  the  most  part, 
peace  reigned  in  the  Junior  Mess.  They  went  to  other 
people's  parties,  and  they  gave  many  a  jolly  party  them- 
selves. When  they  entertained  in  mild  weather,  the 
table  was  laid  in  the  courtyard.  After  dinner  in  the 
balmy  night  air  the  company  sat  in  bamboo  chairs,  sip- 
ping coffee  and  smoking;  and  then  they  sang  while 
Straight,  still  wearing  the  light-hearted  air  of  the  college 
student,  thrummed  joyously  on  his  guitar.  Then  in  the 
temple  terraces  of  the  Western  Hills  beyond  the  city  wall 
of  Peking — summer  homes  of  the  Americans  and  other 
members  of  the  legations — there  were  evenings  of  care- 
free song  to  the  music  of  Straight's  guitar  under  the  stars 
of  the  oriental  night.  Often  he  sang  songs  of  his  own 
composition — settings  he  had  made  for  poems  of  Kipling. 
He  had  in  him  something  of 
the  gay  spirit  of  the  "Tramp 
Royal",  who  had  traveled 
"the  'appy  roads  that  take 
you  o'er  the  world",  and  of 
"The  Long  Trail",  that 
high-hearted  song  of  youth 
and  love  and  voyaging 
through  tropic  seas. 

There  were  nights  at  the 
American  Legation  Quar-  ,,» 
ters  or  the  Junior  Customs 
Mess,  when  the  whole  dis- 
tinguished set  of  European 
and  Asian  and  American  dip- 
lomats sat  with  astonished 
interest  listening  to  Straight 
and  Robert  Haskins  and 
other  young  Americans  reel 
off  the  close  harmony  and 
"barber-shop  swipes"  of 
American  college  quartettes 
and  coon  songs  that  reeked 
with  the  lilt  and  drone  of 
the  South — banjo  and  min- 
strel shows-  things  quite 
new  to  the  heirs  of  Old- 
World  culture  and  soon 
amazingly  popular  in  this 
cosmopolitan  center  of  the 
Orient.  Hostesses  striving 
to  banish  ennui  from  formal 
dinner  parties  looked  upon 
Straight  as  a  guest  much 
to  be  desired.  But  under- 
neath the  gaiety  of  these 
Peking    dinners    where    the  a  young  priest 


SIR   ROBERT    HART 


afTairs  of  every  great 
foreign  office  and  court 
of  Europe  were  can- 
vassed, Straight  was  ab- 
sorbing knowledge  of 
the  diplomatic  game.  To 
no  one  were  his  social 
gifts  more  pleasing  than 
to  Sir  Robert  Hart. 
For  Sir  Robert  wanted 
his  parties  to  be  no  less 
successful  than  his  Cus- 
toms. As  soon  as  he 
heard  of  the  talents  of 
his  new  secretary,  he 
invited  him  to  dinner. 
The  young  man,  a  little 
awed,  was  anything  but 
frolicsome. 

"Now,   look  here, 
Straight,"  said  Sir  Rob- 
ert,   "you're   not  your- 
self, now,  are  you?     If 
I  weren't  here,  shouldn't  you  act  differently?     I've  heard 
you  are  very  amusing  and  I'm  waiting  to  see  it." 

One  can  imagine  with  just  how  much  humor  and  gaiety 
the  secretary  responded  to  such  a  suggestion.  It  reduced 
him  to  muteness.  But  he  made  a  quick  recovery  and 
thereafter  he  was  rarely  absent  when  the  I.  G.,  as  they 
all  called  the  Inspector  General,  had  guests.  His  host 
received  several  shocks  from  the  way  in  which  the  Amer- 
ican trod  precedent  under  foot  in  his  entertaining.  One 
of  the  most  famous  institutions  in  China  was  the  "squeeze" 
— meaning  "graft"  levied  by  officials  upon  those  who  did 
business  with  the  government.  Famous  as  it  was,  how- 
ever, it  was  distinctly  against  the  etiquette  of  the  Customs 
staff  to  talk  of  it  publicly  or  even  semi-publicly. 

In  one  of  the  burnt-cork  shows  arranged  by  himself  and 
other  youngsters  among  the  Americans,  Straight  shame- 
lessly coupled  the  names  of  well-known  mandarins  with 
the  "squeeze".  Not  only  that,  but  he  dared  to  introduce 
lines  dealing  in  a  spirit  of  levity  with  His  Imperial  Maj- 
esty, Kuang  Hsu.  Some  who  were  spectators  that  night 
have  declared  that  Sir  Robert's  hair  stood  on  end  with 
horror.  It  was  fully  expected  in  the  foreign  colony  that 
there  would  be  a  vacant  place  on  the  staff  next  day.  But 
the  I.  G.  evidently  forgave  his  youthful  favorite  every- 
thing. 

Ardently  as  Straight  shared  in  the  life  of  the  foreign 
colony,  he  never  took  his  social  activities  too  seriously. 
He  was  always  laughing  in  his  sleeve  a  little  at  the  busy 
whirl  and  at  his  own  part  in  it. 

"Peking  is  a  place  of  many  dinners,"  he  observed. 
"Not  the  ordinary  dinners  that  one  eats  daily,  with  a 
clear  conscience  and  a  good  digestion,  but  formal  dinners 
that  are  haunted  by  visions  of  liver  and  dyspepsia  as  one 
goes  through  dish  after  dish  and  wine  after  wine.  There 
are  diplomatic  dinners,  where  legations  try  to  even  off 
scores  with  each  other;  there  are  mess  dinners  given  by 
officers  and  by  the  Customs  staff;  then  there  are  awful 
affairs,  given  by  misguided  hostesses,  where  the  guests 
are  all  mixed,  where  no  one  cares  for  his  neighbor,  and 
where,  after  the  meal  is  finished,  everybody  adjourns  to 
the  parlor  and  sits  in  a  circle.  'Oh,  Mr.  Jones,  I  know 
you  play,'  says  the  hostess,  and  Jones  replies,  'Not  at  all, 


not  at  all,'  wondering  all  the  while  which  of  his  time-worn 
selections  he  will  inflict  upon  us." 

Not  all  dinner  parties  were  like  these.  There  were 
choice  gatherings  of  men  and  women  who  had  made  their 
mark  by  force  of  will  and  wit  and  charm,  where  keen 
minds  collided  and  struck  fire  from  one  another.  But, 
of  all  dinners,  he  recalled  with  most  satisfaction  "the 
home-like  little  gatherings  in  the  American  barracks, 
where  the  officers'  wives  have  a  few  well-selected  people 
in  for  dinner,  and  music  afterwards." 

At  one  of  Sir  Robert's  regular  Monday  night  dances  he 
met  Lun  P'ei  Tzu,  nephew  of  the  Emperor,  "a  quiet  little 
round-faced  man,  plainly  dressed  in  dark  silks  with  never 
a  bit  of  embroidery  or  suggestion  even  of  the  gorgeous 
raiment  of  the  celestial  court.  He  was  modesty  itself, 
yet  watched,  as  if  he  had  seen  them  all  his  life,  what  must 
have  been  to  him  the  ludicrous  gambols  of  the  dancers. 
None  of  the  many  strange  things  he  saw  seemed  to  affect 
him  in  the  least.  He  even  put  sugar  and  cream  in  his 
tea  like  the  others,  which  for  a  Chinaman  must  have  been 
almost  a  sacrilege." 

The  I.  G.  surprised  Straight  after  dinner  by  abruptly 
bidding  him  bring  his  drawings  to  show  to  the  royal  guest, 
"overjoying  me,  of  course,  with  the  opportunity  to  'show 
off'  a  bit.  Konowalof  displayed  the  various  drawings  to 
the  Emperor's  nephew  and  explained  them  to  him  in  far 
better  Chinese  than  I  could  have  hoped  to  summon. 
Then  Sir  Robert  came  in,  and  we  must  go  over  them  all 
again.  Sir  Robert  pointed  out  those  he  particularly 
liked.  The  Prince  being  most  genial,  I  asked  him  to  do 
me  the  honor  to  accept  one 
of  my  pictures,  and  he 
chose  a  water-color  of  the 
Lama  Temple." 

Straight  did  not  distin- 
guish himself  in  outdoor 
sports  but  he  was  always 
fascinated  by  them.  The 
enthusiasm  he  was  to  show 
for  polo  in  later  years  on 
Long  Island  was  already 
in  evidence  in  his  early 
days  in  China,  and  his  en- 
joyment of  tennis  and  skat- 
ing was  keen. 

"Over  at  the  Club  rink 
last  night  to  see  1902  fade 
out,"  he  wrote  of  a  New 
Year's  Eve  carnival. 
"Everything  gay.  Lanterns 
hanging  from  the  shed 
lighted  the  smooth  ice. 
The  merrymakers,  interna- 
tional as  usual,  were  swing- 
ing round  and  round  the 
circle,  with  the  incapables 
shivering  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  seats  and 
uprights.  Music  was  fur- 
nished by  the  German 
band — that  is,  between  the 
band's  drinks,  which  were 
long  ones.  Flags  of  all  na- 
tions were  draped  around 
the  sides  of  the  enclosure.  a  little  country  girl 


A  CAMEL-DRIVER 


Diplomats,  bank  folk,  officers 
and  missionaries — in  moderate 
quantities — glided  or  pitched 
or  tumbled  along,  as  the  case 
might  be. 

"The  Russians  were  the  best 
skaters.  Just  before  midnight 
lanterns  and  bells  were  given  to 
everybody.  Then,  as  midnight 
struck,  the  bugle  sounded  a  long 
blast,  the  drums  rattled  and 
hanged,  hats  came  off  and  shouts 
rent  the  air.  With  the  waltz 
that  followed  we  all  skated  on, 
swinging  the  lanterns,  jingling 
the  bells,  crying  Happy  New 
Year  to  friends. 

"So  it  went  for  a  while,  and 
then  came  a  supper  given  by 
Lady  Susan.  The  famous  pian- 
ist, Mademoiselle  Ph — famous 
as  she  is,  I  can't  spell  her  name 
— was  there.  There  were  toasts 
in  all  languages,  by  Lady  Susan 
in  Chinese  and  English  and  al- 
most anything  else,  by  DePlan- 
gon  in  French  and  English,  by 
Bakroff  and  Campbell  in  Rus- 
sian, by  Rospigliosi  in  Italian, 
by  my.self  in  American.  After 
much  scattered  hilarity  we  sang 
'Auld  Lang  Syne' and  dispersed." 
Now  and  then,  as  one  goes  out  of  a  stuffy  house 
to  get  a  breath  of  fresh  air.  Straight  would  turn  his 
back  upon  the  cea.seless  stir  and  hum  of  the  city,  and 
lose  himself  within  a  deserted  temple,  or  penetrate 
into  some  grove  that  he  had  not  yet  e.xplored,  or  walk 
out  into  the  country  beyond  the  walls.  It  was  at 
such  times  that  the  artist  in  him  took  full  possession. 

"The  rustling  of  the  trees  overhead,  the 
droning  chant  of  the  priest"  he  is  writing  of 
the  temple,  the  Pi  Yun  Sze  "the  wind-borne 
chattering  and  the  occasional  howling  of  a  dog, 
the  clack-clack  of  the  watchman's  rattle  this 
is  all.  There  is  a  great  peace,  a  seclusion;  life, 
like  the  flower-scented,  wine-laden  air,  is  sweet, 
full  of  portent. 

"The  little  old  priest,  soft-eyed,  meek,  low- 
voiced,  walks  to   and   fro   with   bowed   head. 
And  such  a  rare  smile  he  has! 
A  smile  that  I  would  give  all 
I  have  to  be  able  to  paint 
a  smile  benignant,  breathing 
self-denial,   self-control,    pa- 
tience.    If  I  could  only  put 
that  on  canvas,  the  embodi- 
ment of  the  sweet  faith  that 
came   from    India  so   many 
hundred  years  ago! 

"In  the  evening  I  sat  out 
on  the  slip  with  the  old 
prie.st,  smoking  and  watch- 
ing the  moon,  half  hidden  by 
the  clouds,  that  gave  just 
enough  light  to  sift  through  a  country  boy 


THE  UBIQUITOUS  OIL  TIN 


the  leaves  and  throw  a 
lace-like  shadow  on  the 
pavement. 

"The  old  fellow  told  me 
how,  when  the  Boxer  trou- 
ble began,  the  country 
folk  had  come  to  him  and 
asked  him  what  to  do,  and 
he  told  them  not  to  go,  but 
to  trust  to  the  great  Bud- 
dha and  the  Emperor,  who 
should  know  that  it  was 
written  to  live  and  let  live 
and  not  kill  men.  But 
they  wouldn't  listen  to 
him.  Then,  after  the  fight- 
ing was  over,  his  tem- 
ple was  rifled  by  brawling 
soldiery,  looted  and  defiled. 
Afterwards  the  crops  went 
to  waste.  For  there  was 
no  one  to  till  the  fields  and 
the  Emperor  could  no 
longer  aid  them  and  there 
v/as  much  suffering  in  the 
temple.  Then  it  was  that 
his  hair  turned  gray  and 
his  eyes  were  dimmed." 

It  was  not  long  after 
his  arrival  in  Peking  that 
Straight's  thoughts  began 
to    take    a    more    serious 

turn.     He  did  not  desert  his  gaieties;  he  continued  to  like 
them  as  much  as  ever.     But,  as  the  older  and  more  expe- 
rienced men  in  the  Legation  Quarter  became  aware  of  his 
solid  and  discreet  intelligence  and  began  to  accept  him  as 
a  friend  and  confidant,  he  developed  an  intense  interest 
in  the  eastern  aspects  of  international  relations.     Inti- 
mate association  with  these  men  kindled  in  him  enthu- 
siasm  for   American   participation   in   the 
development  of  China  as  the  surest  means 
of  converting  the  empty  phrase,  the  Open 
Door,  into  significant  fact. 

Members  of  the  Customs  Service  were 
supposed  to  be  neutral.  But,  in  the  midst 
of  the  disputes  then  raging,  nobody,  least 
of  all  a  person  of  Straight's  vivid  tempera- 
ment, could  live  up  to  the  rule.  At  that 
time,  the  friends  of  China 
looked  upon  Japan  as  its 
champion.  It  was  Japan 
that  was  going  to  stop  the 
Czar's  steam-roller  and  save 
the  most  ancient  of  empires 
from  an  inglorious  partition. 
Such  a  hope  may  appear  hu- 
morous now,  in  the  light  of 
the  way  in  which  Japan  has 
since  played  so  enterprising- 
ly the  role  of  Wolf  to  China's 
Little  Red  Riding  Hood;  but 
it  was  ch(>rish('d  then  by 
wise  and  well-informed  ob- 
servers. Straight  was  one 
of   those    who    shared    it. 


A   BUDDHIST   ACOLYTE 


The  American 
colony  in  Peking, 
grouped  around 
the  Legation, 
shunned  the 
scheming  diplo- 
macy by  which 
most  of  the  other 
nations  were 
seeking  t  o  ma- 
neuver them- 
selves into  a  po- 
sition of  advan- 
tage in  China. 
But  Straight 
mingled  with 
Europeans  as 
much  as  with 
Americans,  and 
even  a  great  deal 
with  the  Japa- 
nese, and  soon 
he  was  in  the 
very  midst  of  the 
hotbed  of  diplo- 
matic gossip. 
The  high-handed 
behavior  of 
many  of  the  foreign  legations  in  Peking  and,  more  still, 
the  evident  design  to  inflict  further  injuries  upon  China 
in  the  future,  made  a  deep  impression  upon  him. 

He  learned,  too,  to  see  ourselves  as  others  see  us  as  he 
listened  to  men  who  had  known  China  life  for  years, 
relate  some  of  the  disgraceful  pages  in  American  history 
in  the  East.  "Dinner  with  J.  0.  P.  Bland  and  Dr. 
Morrison,"  he  wrote.  "In  going  over  I  felt  like  a  sort 
of  a  criminal,  or  the  leader  of  a  forlorn  hope,  to  put  it  in 
a  more  pleasing  guise.  We  went  out  along  the  glacis 
between  the  rows  of  blinking  lights,  past  the  rickshaw 
stands  where  the  coolies  were  cuddled  up  in  the  bottom 
of  their  vehicles,  rattling  along  over  the  dusty  road  to 
the  bridge  over  the  Imperial  Canal.  Here  we  were  met 
by  a  man  with  a  lantern,  who  guided  us  in  behind  the 
mat-shade  of  the  street  kitchens,  along  the  stone  coping 
to  the  water  gate.  Standing  on  a  stone  far  below  us, 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  stinking  water  was  a  man  with 
a  lantern  and  stretching  up,  the  connecting  link  between 
us,  was  a  ladder,  gaunt,  spindling,  a  most  uninviting- 
looking  mode  of  descent.  He  with  the  lantern  went 
down  first,  we  followed,  and  the  light  brightened  a  bit  of 
the  stagnant  liquid  about  us,  slime  covered,  black,  in- 
habited by  myriads  of  water  creatures.  Then  we 
stepped  charily  over  a  little  causeway  of  stones  in  between 
the  hewn  bars  of  the  water  gate  and  through  the  archway 
beyond.  Once  out  of  the  tunnel  we  had  to  scramble  over 
rough  ground,  which  the  wily  Oriental  had  used  for  all 
sorts  of  household  purposes.  Up  and  down  we  went 
until  we  finally  reached  the  dust  padded  roadway  which 
we  followed  along  to  the  alley  where  Dr.  Morrison's  house 
was  located.  The  court-yards  were  gay  with  lanterns, 
which  lighted  the  shrubbery  and  relieved  them  in  sil- 
houettes, or  silvered  their  greenery. 

"At  dinner  there  was  talk  of  the  profession  of  Jezebel. 
My  heart  shrivelled  within  me  as  I  heard  tale  after  tale 
of  the  roguery  of  American  officials  in  the  East,  of  the 


bribery,  of  a  consul  and  a  group  of  missionaries  such 
things  of  Americans,  of  the  great,  the  proud  home  of  the 
Eagle!  Such  rotten  corruption  by  the  representatives 
of  one's  own  native  land  was  enough  to  make  me  wish 
for  absolute  despotism  that  the  stable  might  be  cleaned. 

"Then  on  to  the  German  Consul-General  in  Shanghai, 
made  famous  or  infamous  by  Stevenson  in  his  'P'ootnote 
to  History.'  I  saw  the  glance  of  race  hatred  glint  for  a 
moment  between  Bland,  the  Englishman,  and  Wilzer, 
the  German.  There  were  tales  of  loot  and  pillage,  of  the 
horrors  of  the  siege,  of  the  excesses  of  the  armies  of 
occupation.  Bland  was  witty,  sharp,  keen,  capable  of 
following  his  point  to  the  bitter  end,  and  of  searing  in 
each  sentence  with  an  acidity  that  would  make  it  felt. 
Wilzer  was  simple,  a  little  dull,  helpless  in  the  hands  of 
the  man  of  the  world,  who,  every  whit  as  suave,  had  a 
much  broader  knowledge  of  men  and  affairs.  The 
combat  between  the  sheep  and  the  leopard  it  was." 

The  dedication  of  the  von  Ketteler  monument,  erected 
by  the  Chinese  under  compulsion  from  Berlin  in  atone- 
ment for  the  murder  of  the  German  ambassador  by  a  mob 
(and,  it  may  be  noted,  razed  by  the  Chine.se  during  the 
European  war),  occasioned  one  of  Straight's  most  out- 
spoken protests. 

"China  is  weighed  down  by  taxation  necessary  to  meet 
the  enormous  indemnities,"  he  wrote.  "The  foreign 
soldiers  swagger  about  the  streets  with  the  air  of  con- 


IN    THE    RICE-SHOP 


querors.  Rapine  and  wholesale  slaughter  were  loosed 
on  the  populace  of  Peking  in  consequence  of  the  murder 
of  von  Ketteler,  and  now,  to  strike  another  blow  at  the 
pride  of  the  Chinese,  this  triple-arched  memorial  is  built 
in  the  heart  of  their  city  to  stand  as  an  eternal  reminder 
of  the  white  man's  mailed  fist." 

The  dedication  led  to  still  another  of  those  embarrass- 
ing interviews  with  the  I.  G.  For  Harper's  Weekly, 
Straight  wTote  an  article  about  the  ceremony.  Through 
some  mistake  in  the  editorial  offices,  the  line  under  the 
title  read:  "By  Our  Correspondent,  Willard  Straight,  In- 
spector-General of  Imperial  Maritime  Customs  at  Peking." 
When  the  Weekly  arrived,  he  opened  it  with  the  expec- 
tant thrill  of  a  budding  author,  but  the  first  glance  set 
his  knees  quaking.  He  spent  a  sleepless  night  and  next 
morning  went  straight  to  Sir  Robert  with  the  exhibit. 
The  I.  G.  read  the  heading  and  looked  surprised. 

"Well,  I  wish  you  luck  in  your  new  position,"  he  said 
gravely.  Straight  waited,  full  of  dread,  while  his  chief 
read  further  into  the  article.  "Rather  a  good  yarn,"  Sir 
Robert  said  at  last.  "Better  leave  it  with  me,  I'd  like  to 
finish  it."  And  he  concluded  as  Straight  started  out: 
"Don't  bother  your  head  about  it.  It  was  a  foolish  mis- 
print; people  will  forget  all  about  it  in  a  week  and  nobody 
will  be  any  the  worse  off." 

Straight  was  sensitively  alert  to  the  beauty  and  the 
romance  of  the  life  of  the  Orient  all  about  him  and  his 
interest  now  in  the  Mongols  and  their  religious  practices 
presaged  an  escapade  of  his  somewhat  later  that  brought 
him  no  little  fame  in  the  community.  "After  dinner 
Kornalofl  took  me  in  to  see  some  bronzes,  six  pieces  of 
excellent  workmanship,"  he  wrote.  "One  looked  re- 
markably like  McKinley.  He  told  me  of  his  trip  to 
Mongolia  where  he  saw  a  great  affair  with  the  living 
Buddha.  This  gentleman  came  to  the  great  feast, 
mounted  on  a  white  pony,  surrounded  by  yellow  robed 
lamas  and  proceeded  to  the  great  temple,  three  men 
carrying  them,  one  man  blowing.  While  the  Mongol 
princes  and  oflicials  and  high  priests  were  feasting  with 
Mr.  Buddha,  little  boys  stripped  to  the  waist  came  up 
and  after  being  sprinkled  with  holy  water  and  blessed, 
they  mounted  ponies.  When  they  were  too  small  their 
legs  were  tied  under  them.  They  raced  for  fifteen  miles 
on  well-trained  ponies,  seven  and  a  half  to  go  and  as 
much  to  come  back.  All  the  little  boys  were  good  for 
was  to  beat  the  horses  and  make  them  go  the  faster. 
Then  on  their  return  the  winner  was  presented  with  a 
silken  prayer  handkerchief  which  in  Mongolia  passes  for 
money  and  the  house  or  clan  of  the  winner  felt  assured 
that  fortune  will  be  theirs  during  the  months  to  come. 
Then  he  told  how  he  had  met  a  Mongol  crawling  to  Wu 
Tai-shan.  An  old  dervish  he  was,  with  leather  trousers 
and  apron  and  wooden  clogs  in  his  hands.  With  these 
he  could  reach  out  and  then,  bringing  himself  up,  stretch 
out  again  like  the  measuring  worm.  He  had  seen 
Buddhist  priests  who  had  started  out  to  collect  money 
for  a  certain  cause,  seen  them  walking  along  with  a  nail 
in  their  noses,  which  they  would  sell — the  nail  not  the 
noses  for  a  few  taels.  Other  men  stayed  in  little  huts, 
lived  there  for  years  with  a  bell  hanging  in  front  of  them. 
For  so  much  they  would  ring  the  bell.  Others  sitting  in 
a  nail-studded  box  would  sell  the  nails  for  so  much,  the 
purcha.ser  winning  virtue  by  having  taken  away  the  nail 
from  the  poor  creature's  box  and  thus  doing  a  kindness 
to  him." 


Those  who  knew  Straight  best  have  often  dwelt  upon 
the  strife  wi.thin  him  between  the  things  that  moved  his 
hand  and  brain  and  the  things  that  fed  his  spirit.  His 
strongest  impulse  was  for  attainment  for  himself  and  for 
the  benefit  of  those  about  him,  and  in  early  years  he 
thought  much  of  such  attainment  in  terms  of  his  esthetic 
joy  in  life.  Conscious,  as  he  could  not  fail  to  be,  of  his 
gift  for  affairs,  abounding  in  energy,  surrounded  by  tasks 
he  felt  impelled  to  undertake,  he  plunged  into  the  whirl 
of  finance.  In  the  pressure  of  these  new  activities,  as  the 
years  passed,  the  artistic  impulse  was  checked.  But  he 
never  lost  his  yearning  to  express,  in  some  form  of 
practical  and  preferably  public  life,  his  interest  in  people 
and  art  and  his  talent  for  originality  of  thought  and 
well-applied  action.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was 
making  plans  to  follow  pursuits  more  readily  responsive 
to  the  promptings  of  his  spirit. 

In  those  early  days  at  Peking  there  was  no  fitting 
release  for  his  energies.  Hard  work  of  some  kind  he  had 
to  have,  to  be  satisfied,  but  here  he  found  that  his  chief 
activity  lay  not  in  work  at  all,  but  in  the  social  life  of  the 
I.  G.'s  household.  His  feeling  that  he  was  wasting 
precious  time  cast  him  into  spells  of  "the  blues",  which 
are  reflected  in  his  diary. 

"Altogether  I  am  in  a  bad  way,"  he  wrote  one  night,  in 
a  low-spirited  mood,  "and  don't  know  how  to  get  out  of 
it  except  by  healthy  exercise  and  seeing  lots  of  people: 
but  that  means  the  neglect  of  Chinese  and  of  art,  so  what 
can  a  poor  fool  do?" 

)  In  one  of  those  philosophizing  moods  that  he  liked  to 
indulge  now  and  then — a  sort  of  homily  on  success  and 
failure — he  wrote: 

"There  are  so  many  ways  in  which  one  can  explain 
failures.  It  is  human  nature  to  make  mistakes,  one  as- 
sures himself;  the  world  expects  a  young  man  to  be  less 
acquainted  with  its  tricks,  easier  to  befool,  to  be  of  less 
value  in  all  positions  requiring  not  only  natural  ability 
but  years  oi  training.  The  man  who  makes  mistakes, 
errors  of  judgment,  says:  'Others  would  have  done  the 
same,  I  am  only  human.'  Yet  within  himself  he  feels 
that  he  is  more  clever  than  other  men.  He  feels  ill-used. 
In  reality  he  has  found  his  level.  He  has  played  for 
recognition  as  being  more  than  an  everyday  man.  He 
has  made  a  mistake.  This  is  no  reflection  on  him — it 
only  proves  that  he's  an  ordinary  man.  There  are  many 
such;  the  highways  swarm  with  them. 

"His  chief  has  been  looking  for  the  exceptional  man, 
and  has  found  the  rule.  The  young  man  is  not  expected 
to  outdo  his  seniors.  If  he  does,  he  makes  his  name — 
he  proves  his  worth — he  succeeds.  If  he  doesn't,  he  is 
like  the  other  men — responsibility  will  not  be  given  to 
him;  he  must  wait  and  grow  into  it.  He  is  ordinary. 
To  be  better  than  you  are  expected  to  be,  to  be  able  to 
handle  a  situation  by  common  sense  in  lieu  of  experience, 
to  be  able  more  than  to  hold  the  position  in  which 
you  are  placed,  no  matter  how  important  it  is—  that 
is  success.  To  do  le.ss  means  simply  that  you  are 
like  the  rest.  And  that,  to  an  ambitious  man,  means 
failure." 

Again,  he  voiced  his  philosophy  when  he  expressed 
admiration  for  a  certain  official  in  the  Customs: 

"He  may  not  be  smooth  or  politic,  but  he  has  the 
energy  and  intellect  to  move  something.  It  is  such  men 
with  such  energies,  not  those  who  sit  around  and  watch 
and  criticize,  who  accomplish  things  in  the  world." 


8 


■■^liiM^^i  it 


THE   STRAIGHTS'   GATE-KEEPER   IN   PEKING 
Water-color  by  Willard  Straight 


ONE  OF  THE  FOUR  HUNDRED  MILLION 
Pastel  by  Willard  StraiRht 


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CJ^s? 


SKETCHES  FROM  JAPAN  AND  MANCHURIA 


;\' 


Chapter  II 
A  DIARY  OF  PEKING 


A.V  American  Visitor  in  Peking — She,  an  American 
girl  in  a  wilderness  of  foreign  bachelors.  About 
twenty-three,  with  an  agreeable  smile.  The  most 
noticeable  thing  about  her,  however,  is  her  patronizing 
air,  the  obvious  bestowal  of  her  attentions  on  different 
people  at  different  times,  a  smile  here,  a  kindly  inquiry 
full  of  doctored-up  interest  there,  and  a  watchful  eye  for 
the  effect  upon  the  recipient  of  the  favors.  Yes,  she  had 
been  in  Europe,  lived  there  and  bought  pictures  in  Ven- 
ice. Blue  went  so  well  with  gold.  Sometimes  the  Vene- 
tians framed   'em  in  black,   but  she   liked   gold.     The 

picture  I  had  given   Mrs.  C was  so  nice,  and  oh! 

the  frame  was  so  odd,  you  know.  (Yes,  I  knew  it-  my 
servant  had  made  it  from  cardboard  and  Chinese  joss- 
paper.) 

Two  Men  of  the  World — Dinner  with  Jameson  and 
Coolidge.  Altogether  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  of  my 
Peking  experiences.  Such  tales  of  men  one  has  heard 
about  and  read  about,  from  the  lips  of  those  who  knew 
them!  Jameson  is  charming  as  a  man  of  the  world, 
as   a   raconteur.      Coolidge 

has  been  everywhere,  done  ^-^ 

everything,    seen    every- 
body.    Newspaper  corre-  yT"> 
spondents,   authors,    diplo- 
matists,   statesmen — all 
passed  in  review  before  my 
wondering  eyes.    Yarns  of 
Savage  Landor,  of  Li  Hung-  x- 
chang's  household,  of  Yuan                   ^ 
Shih-kai     Jameson  in  west- 
ern  China     Steever,  the  skull-hunter,   and 
the  dinner  with  the  Tame  Sultan  of  Lahore. 
Such  was  the  conversation. 

A  Day  in  the  Country  -Today  a  riding 
picnic  to  Pa  Pao  Shan  the  Hill  of  the 
Eight  Treasures.  A  beautiful,  bright,  sun- 
shiny day,  with  the  breeze  of  October  in  the 
air,  just  enough  to  make  one  tingle  a  bit  and 
to  start  the  joy  of  living  surging  through 
one's  body.  There  was  a  good  ride  out  and 
a  cheerful  tiffin,  with  perhaps  somewhat  too 
much  champagne. 

The  temple  was  a  little  red-walled  affair, 
perched  on  the  crest  of  the  hill  and  reached 
by    a    flight    of    diabolically    perpendicular 
steps.     Back  of  the  hallway  was  a  terrace  or  balcony 
where  you  could  walk  and  view  the  countryside  for  miles 
around.    To  the  west  the  great  mass  of  hills,  hazy  purple 


.!.  :-■ 


%  <^ni 


w 


in  the  afternoon  sunlight,  with  the  shadows  seaming 
their  bare  sides,  forests  darkening  them,  and  bits  of 
temples,  white-walled,  glistening  clear  and  bright. 

Our  little  hill  formed  part  of  a  spur  running  down  from 
the  main  range,  and  we  could  follow  this  range  as  it 
wound  into  the  distance  to  join  the  parental  rocks.  On 
all  sides  stretched  the  fields,  lean,  bare,  brown  after  the 
reaping,  furrowed  and  broken  by  the  plow — dark,  fresh- 
cultivated  earth,  with  the  roots  of  the  gathered  crops 
clinging  to  the  clods  of  dirt.  Here  were  gray,  stubble- 
spiked  plots,  there  rows  of  sprouting  spring  wheat,  the 
green  softening  the  dirty  red  of  the  earth.  Little  villages 
dotted  the  view  here  and  there:  the  temples  with  their 
gray  roofs  sharp  against  the  dark  gray-green  of  the  foliage; 
great  clumps  of  white-trunked,  squirmy-branched  trees 
that  shaded  the  graves  of  the  departed  great  men  of 
China  who  had  been  sleeping  there  for  generations.  All 
through  the  country,  winding  in  and  out,  crossing,  re- 
crossing,  now  in  travel-worn  valleys,  now  on  the  sur- 
face in  a  flat  plain,  raced  the  roads — great  dust-buried 
highways,  blue-covered  city  carts  jolting  along,  luggage 

vans    rattling    swiftly    by 
,''^^;>,  as   the    ponies   and   mules 

trotted  and  jangled  under 
the  driver's  whip. 
,,  ^"-         Mule    trains,   farmer- 
;  :^  ~i2c^         laden,  brutes  that  plodded 

\  steadily  along,  donkeys  go- 

^~-    S  ing  to   market,    droves  of 

sheep  that  spread  and 
rippled  on  the  surface  of 
the  earth  like  an  advancing  flood;  and 
here,  there,  everywhere,  the  procession  of 
camels,  ugly,  sodden,  stolid.  We  stood  on 
the  terrace  and  heard  the  unceasing  clang- 
clang-clang  of  the  camel  bells,  the  barking 
of  a  dog  from  the  nearest  village,  the  cry 
of  a  child  in  the  still  air,  the  braying  of  a 
donkey  in  the  court  below,  and  the  un- 
ceasing hum  of  insect  life  as  it  thrived 
and  fattened  in  the  warmth  of  the  sun. 
Such  was  the  picnic  as  I  shall  remember 
it.  What  the  rest  thought  of  it  T  don't 
know — everybody  for  himself  in  such 
matters! 


IN    NORTH    CHINA 


An  International  Shindy — Terrific  row 

in    Peking's    Coney    Island    district   last 

night.     One  Italian  sailor  dead,  two  Austrian  policemen 

dying,    several    more    Italians    mortally   wounded.     No 

one  knows  ju.st  how  it  hajjpened,  e.xcept  that,  as  usual,  a 


10 


woman  played  the  principal  role. 
A  grog-shop  was  wrecked,  and 
when  the  Austrian  picket  came  up 
to  investigate,  two  of  them  were 
shot.  An  Italian  soldier  was  found 
in  the  place  by  the  picket;  since  it 
was  supposed  he  was  drunk,  he  was 
shuffled  into  a  rickshaw  and  sent 
to  the  barracks. 

The  doctor  cursed  his  luck  for 
being  called  out  to  see  the  usual 
sight,  but  in  this  case  it  was  more 
serious.  "That  man's  not  drunk!" 
he  said,  "He's  dead!"  There  was 
a  call  to  quarters,  a  roll-call.  One 
man,  breathless,  torn,  bleeding, 
came  in  late.  Fell  from  his  couch, 
he  said.  Upon  investigation  he 
was  found  to  be  covered  with  blood, 
and  in  his  quarters  his  revolver, 
with  three  cartridges  missing,  was 
found  with  his  bloody  mantle. 

A  detachment  immediately  went 
to  the  grog-shop,  accompanied  by 
the  great  Rospigliosi.  Here  every- 
thing was  broken — furniture,  bar, 
bottles,  glasses — everything  wreck- 
ed, and  the  wretched  woman  in  the 
midst  of  it  all.    The  whole  crowd  of 

Greeks,  Italians  and  Chinese  in  the  place  were  arrested 
but  claimed  French  protection.  These  rows  are  always 
occurring  in  the  Hata  Men  district. 

A  Quiet  Day  Briefly  Told — Industrial  Institute  with 
Miss  Carl  and  Mac  in  the  morning.  Painted  all  the  after- 
noon.   Collins  and  McCormick  dined  here.    We  sang. 

Thanksgiving  Day,  1902 — Tiffin  at  American  Students' 
Club.  University  of  California 
against  Cornell  and  West 
Point  on  club  courts.  Tie 
game.  Great  hullabaloo  at  the 
Legation — sermons,  chow,  tre- 
mendous musical  and  oratorical 
fete.  Afterwards  adjourned  to 
Coolidge's  and  heard  an  ex- 
tremely interesting  interchange 
of  reminiscences  by  him  and 
Welbourne  on  Cuba  and  the 
Philippines.  A  good  Thanks- 
giving. 

A  Visit  to  the  Famous  London 
Times  Correspondent — After  a 
tumble  from  my  rickshaw  I 
managed  to  get  out  to  Morri- 
son's place  through  the  water 
gates.  We  dined  together,  and 
he  talked  much  of  himself  and 
his  works.  Regretted  that  he 
could  not  write — it  was  very 
difficult  for  him.  Hard  for  him 
to  accomplish  anything,  he  said. 
Showed  me  photographs  of 
brother  and  sister  and  father. 


WAITING    FOR    THE    EMPEROR 


TEA    AFTER    THE   LONG    VIGIL 


His  father  was  head  of  Seeley  Col- 
lege, Victoria;  his  brother  a  great 
athlete  in  Scotland;  he  himself  a 
doctor  of  Edinburgh  and  Madrid, 
bui  always  intended  to  be  a  news- 
paper man.  Began  in  New  Guinea, 
where  he  was  nearly  killed  by  a 
spear-thrust.  Then  he  took  his 
degree  in  medicine  and  practised. 
Went  with  the  Times  in  '95.  Made 
the  trip  from  Bangkok  to  Yunnan 
Fu  to  Mengtze  and  back  to  Bang- 
kok overland — a  tremendous  under- 
taking. He  turned  over  a  number 
of  photographs  to  me,  from  which 
1  am  to  make  full-page  drawings 
for  his  book.  The  Experiences  of  a 
Times  Correspondeyit  in  the  Far 
East.  It  seems  almost  too  good  to 
be  true  that  I  should  be  working 
with  such  a  man.  The  only  thing 
I  fear  is  that  one  who  is  such  a 
a  tireless  worker  will  never  have 
time  to  do  this  outside  work,  and 
for  this  reason  the  book  will  never 
be  written.  However,  we  hope  for 
the  best.  I  now  have  photographs 
of  the  Amur  and  Siam  on  which  to 
commence  work.  If  I  can  only  do 
well,  my  future  may  begin  to  shape  itself.  He,  Morri- 
son, knows  China  from  one  end  to  the  other  -has  im- 
mense political  influence  and  a  great  deal  of  back-stairs 
knowledge  of  what  goes  on,  more  than  even  the  I.  G. 
himself.  I  am  to  have  the  chance  of  sketching  him  and 
hope  to  do  something  that  will  be  of  value  to  him.  He  is 
a  most  charming  man  to  meet — in  appearance,  stocky, 
with  sloping  shoulders  and  big  head,  though  a  short  neck 
supports    it.     His    features    are    very    pleasant    indeed, 

regular  and  clean-cut  eyes,  blue- 
gray  and  twinkling,  and  a 
strange,  wondering  smile  play- 
ing about  the  corners  of  his 
mouth.  His  hair  is  never 
brushed,  or  at  least,  if  it  is, 
never  looks  it.  He  has  a  happy 
faculty  of  getting  acquainted 
with  every  one,  and  what  is 
more  to  the  point,  finding 
out  all  about  them  without  tell- 
ing anything  about  himself  in 
return.  His  questions  are  quick 
and  very  much  to  the  point. 
He  watches  the  speaker  closely 
and  when  he  is  pumped  dry  of 
all  information,  the  Doctor  nods 
his  head  and  smiles. 

An  All  Day's  Walk— Today  I 
took    an    all    day's    walk    with 

B .     Incidentally,  we  found 

a  court  graveyard  wherein  were 
buried  the  various  court  eu- 
nuchs. We  talked  on  almost 
every  conceivable  subject.  Cer- 
tainly  he  is  a  most   delightful 


11 


man.  He  impresses  on  one  forcibly  the  thought  that,  to 
succeed,  one  must  oneself  learn  to  be  quiet,  not  to  try 
to  impress  people  v\ith  one's  own  importance. 

A  Day  in  Early  Wittier — First  snow  of  the  season  today. 
Called  on  Mrs.  Gatrell  with  Flaherty,  and  found  her  a 
most  charming  woman,  absolutely  natural,  good  Amer- 
ican mother,  no  affectation,  cordial  and  true  and  winsome, 
with  a  brilliant  pair  of  eyes.  .  .  .  Tiffin  with  Mrs. 
Meyers,  Misses  Campbell  and  West,  Baroness  Romano 
[wife  of  the  present  Italian  ambassador  to  the  United 
States  who  was  at  that  time  charge  d'affaires  at  Peking] 
and  their  brothers.  Because  of  this,  late  for  the  hockey 
game.  Sent  Sir  Robert  a  copy  of  Verse  and  Worse. 
[This  was  a  frivolous  volume  by  J.  O.  P.  Bland,  with  illus- 
trations by  Straight.]  He  refused  it  without  opening  it. 
Not  polite.  Called  on  the  Baroness  Romano,  and  then 
worked  on  a  drawing  of  the  scaffolding  of  the  von  Ketteler 
monument.  Nothing  else  to-day  except  that  my  Chi- 
nese, just  now,  is  being  enthusiastically  neglected  and  that 
I  must  take  a  brace  in  the  near  future. 

"An  Evening  out  of  Kipling" — Dinner  with  the  Chan- 
cery Mess.     Hynd  and  McCormick  with  the  "Padre", 

one  Mr.  V ,  a  clergyman  who  likes  his  cigar  and  his 

whiskey  and  soda,  and  sings  and  plays.  Is  a  good  fellow 
all  around.  The  whole  evening  has  left  the  impression 
of  camaraderie  and  manliness  tinged  with  the  color  of  the 
Siege  tales;  for  three  of  the  men  went  through  it  all,  and 
McCormick  came  up  shortly  after  the  relief.  Tales  of 
Russians  and  Germans  on  the  march,  their  weird  singing, 
of  trials  of  guilty  Chinese  officials  by  mixed  courts  com- 
posed of  English,  German  and  Italian  officers.  The  hos- 
pitality that  ran  rampant  between  the  British  officers  in 
the  Temple  of  Heaven  and  the  Americans  in  the  Temple 
of  Agriculture.     It  was  an  evening  out  of  Kipling. 

Chinese  Wedding-Gifts — My  Chinese  teacher  told  me 
how  geese  were  painted  red  and  sent  as  wedding-pres- 
ents. They  are  sold  by  the  recipients,  and  bought  and 
sent  again  by  other  people,  to  be  sold  once  more,  and 
passed  on  again,  never  to  be  eaten.  Sheep  are  also 
painted  red  on  such  occasions. 

The  von  Ketteler  Monument-  -The  Chinese  Government, 
acting  according  to  the  terms  of  the  Peace  Protocol 
signed  in  the  fall  of  1900,  has  been  working  steadily  on 
the  monument  for  a  year  and  a  half.  It  is  to  be  raised 
on  the  spot  where  von  Ketteler  [German  Minister]  was 
killed,  as  a  perpetual  warning  against  such  outrages  in 
the  future. 

For  many  months  the  stone-cutters  were  constantly  at 
work  in  the  rojjed-off  space.  In  September  the  founda- 
tion piles  had  been  driven  in  and  all  was  ready  for  the 
superstructure.  Thereupon  the  Chinese  artisans  pro- 
ceeded to  erect  this  mammoth  scaffolding,  which  now 
towers  above  all  the  neighboring  buildings.  It  is  con- 
structed throughout  of  long  fir  poles,  bound  together  by 
hempen  rope,  the  huge  legs  and  shafts  being  formed  by 
bundles  of  these  sticks,  none  of  them  more  than  eight 
inches  in  diameter  and  varying  from  twenty  to  fifty  feet 
in  length.  In  the  whole  structure  not  a  nail  was  used. 
It  is  a  triumph  of  engineering  and  hard  labor.  More 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  it  is  so  immense 
that  I  fear  the  real  stone  structure  underneath,  when 


the  wooden  veil  is  thrown  aside,  will  seem  an  anti-climax. 

The  labor  is  all  performed  by  coolies  whose  songs  rise 
weird  and  shrieking  all  through  the  day  from  eight 
o'clock  to  five.  All  the  traflfic  of  this  busy  part  of  the 
city — carts  large  and  small,  small  trains,  pack  mules, 
donkeys,  rickshaws  and  wheelbarrows,  not  to  mention 
the  ceaseless  stream  of  humanity — must  pass  through 
little  dark  passageways  between  the  outside  of  the  great 
pillars  of  uprights  and  the  low  shop  fronts  on  either  side 
of  the  street. 

The  work  on  the  monument  proper  is  now  but  half 
finished.  When  the  scaffolding  is  taken  down  the  stone- 
carvers  will  be  called  in  to  complete  their  work  —  a  task 
that  will  take  another  year  and  a  half.  The  whole  thing 
is  an  example  of  Chinese  economy.  No  rattling,  no 
clattering  of  hammers,  merely  the  binding  and  twisting 
with  hempen  rope  of  almost  three  thousand  long  poles 
to  build  a  scaffolding  that  will  be  taken  apart  and  used 
over  and  over  again  for  years  to  come. 

The  Imperial  Court's  Moving-Day — Up  at  half  past 
six  this  morning,  and  through  the  misty,  frozen  streets 
to  the  northwest  city.  Once  on  the  Pingtze,  Shaw  and  I 
alighted  from  our  rickshaws  and  went  on  foot  to  the 
north.  All  was  a  bustle  of  preparation  for  the  court's 
moving.  Officials  and  policemen  and  coolies,  rattling 
carts,  camel  trains — for  the  moment  sidetracked — hustled 
out  of  the  way  in  anticipation.  Riders  would  dash  by, 
bearing  messages.  Came  vast  baggage-vans,  forerunners 
of  the  court,  and  big,  swinging,  tramping  lines  of  coolies 
bearing  round,  dragon-blazoned  boxes  tied  up  in  yellow 
silk. 

Near  the  Hsi  Chih  Men  we  met  the  first  relays  of 
chair-bearers,  men  dressed  in  purple  and  red  gauze-like 
stuff,  brilliantly  flowered.  Eight  men  on  little  shaggy 
ponies  waited  beside  the  highway  for  the  coming  of  the 
court.  In  the  big  enclosure  just  outside  the  main  gate 
and  inside  the  smaller  one,  the  outworks  of  the  defense, 
was  a  group  of  cavalrymen  waiting.  We  went  on  through 
the  gates  over  the  little  piles  of  earth  in  the  archway  and 
into  the  street  beyond.  The  little  guard-houses  were 
brushed  and  swept,  and  the  men  stood  about  in  their 
best  l)ibs  and  tuckers.  We  went  on  through  a  jumble  of 
carts  until  we  came  to  the  foot-bridge.  Beyond  that  was 
a  body  of  infantry  with  large  orange  banners. 

Squirming  our  way  between  carts  and  ponies  and  don- 
keys, we  went  on  around  the  turn  to  the  right  and  down 
to  the  Imperial  boat-house.  Just  at  the  bridge  we  met 
the  vanguard  of  the  procession,  officials  in  furs  and 
embroidery  mounted  on  mules  and  ponies  came  riding 
down  upon  us,  ordering  us  summarily  out  of  the  way. 
Finally,  just  as  the  first  troops  came  on,  we  were 
hustled  off  to  the  right  of  the  bridge,  and  here  on  a  pile 
of  dirt  we  watched  the  Empress  Dowager  go  by  in  her 
yellow  chair.  She  was  a  nice-looking  little  old  lady  with 
a  Roman  nose,  brown  and  neat.  She  looked  from  side 
to  side,  evidently  taking  in  everything  but  neither  smil- 
ing nor  bowing  to  the  crowd.  After  her  came  a  muddle 
of  lancers  and  bowmen,  the  weapons  of  the  bowmen 
l)eing  incased  in  splendid  leather  covers. 

The  whole  affair  was  a  confused  jumble  of  color,  of 
drums  and  bugles,  glistening  bayonets,  waving  banners, 
shouting  men,  red-coated  chair-bearers,  silk-clad  officials, 
calling,  jostling,  pushing  this  way  and  that.  The  Empress 
went  on   to  the   boat-house,   alighted,  and   went  in   for 


12 


tiffin.  We  had  tried  to  take  a  photograph  as  the  proces- 
sion passed,  but  an  official  put  his  head  in  the  way  as  I 
snapped  the  camera. 

Gaiety  (it  the  Hritinh  Legation  We  danced  at  Lady 
Susan's  [Lady  Susan  Townley,  wife  of  the  British  charge 
d'affaires].  It  was  a  beautiful  evening,  the  mist  silvery 
in  the  moonlight.     Our  procession  was  a  long  one,  sl.x 


in    green    and    gold;   long   curtains   in   many   patterns. 

At  the  American  Minister's — We  dined  at  the  Congers' 
and  it  was  by  all  odds  the  most  exciting  evening  I  ever 
passed  at  the  Legation.  After  dinner  everything  was 
fairly  orderly  for  a  time.  The  elder  Miss  Young  played 
the  piano  and  her  sister  the  violin,  and  they  played  ex- 
tremely well.     It  was  the  best  music  I  had  heard  in  a 


/  '■: 


jir\ 


ky 


J 


A   LAMA   FROM   DEEP   MONGOLIA 


HIGH    PRIEST    IN    YAH-NAIR   HELMET 


chairs  and  three  rickshaws,  the  former  swinging  steadily 
along,  somber  in  the  half  light,  their  lanterns  on  either 
side  and  the  broad-hatted  coolies  tramp-tramp-tramping 
with  their  steady  gait. 

Once  in  the  ballroom  we  found  ourselves  truly  interna- 
tional. There  were  Englishmen,  of  course,  brilliant  in 
scarlet  mess-jackets;  Austrians;  a  Russian  in  top-boots; 
diplomats  and  soldiers,  with  at  least  twenty-five  ladies — a 
most  wonderful  aggregation  for  Peking.  Waltzes  and  pol- 
kas, a  barn  dance,  and  two  splendid  Scotch  reels.  The  Le- 
gation is  a  Chinese  house  adapted,  rich  in  Chinese  panel- 
ing, red  and  buff  papers  setting  off  the  dark  wood;  ceilings 


year  or  more.  Brent  recited  several  times,  and  McCor- 
mick,  Drolett  and  myself  contributed  coon  songs.  That 
finished,  we  danced;  then,  the  music  giving  out,  Cowell 
gave  a  sailor's  hornpipe,  everybody  whistling  the 
accompaniment.  Then  the  fair  Miss  Ragsdale  and 
myself  executed  a  cake-walk,  but  only  after  a  fashion, 
for  the  music  was  too  bad,  and  you  need  a  rattling,  bang- 
ing ragtime  to  get  the  spirit  of  it.  Dancing  again 
and  more  coon  songs  and  Louis  Fuertes'  celebrated 
gorilla  story.  I  walked  home  beside  the  chair  of  the 
younger  of  the  two  sisters  and  saw  them  safely  in  Sir 
Robert's  gate. 


13 


An  Imperial  Adventure  in  the  Disguise  of  a  Lama — My 
long-suffering  servant  came  back  at  last  from  his  trip 
over  the  muddy  road  to  the  Yung  Ho  Kung  [the  famous 
Lama  temple  just  wthin  the  northern  wall  of  Peking], 
to  find  the  recreant  priest  who  had  promised  by  all 
his  Mongol  gods  to  come  down  that  day  and  arrange 
for  my  visit.  My  friend  would  wait  till  ten  o'clock 
in    the    evening   for   me;   then   the   gates   would  close. 

I  collected  my  sketch-books  and 
pencils,  cigars  and  cane,  and  piled 
into  the  damp  cart.  We  went  slowly 
along,  splashing,  lurching,  foundering 
in  the  dark;  the  boy  and  the  carter 
on  the  shaft  cursing  creation  in  gen- 
eral and  the  mule  in  particular.  We 
passed  a  few  stray  carts  and  the 
usual  lot  of  policemen.  Otherwise 
all  was  a  black,  murky  loneliness, 
scarcely  livened  by  the  yellow,  gleam- 
ing street-lamps  that  were  doing  their 
cheap  best  to  throw  streaks  of 
light  over  the  mud  river. 

At  the  Yung  Ho  Kung,  the 
two    lamas,    my    confederates,    ^ 
were    waiting.     The    lamasery 
was    asleep.     As   we   entered    the 
little  paved  court  and  made  for  the 
candlelight  that  gleamed  through 
the  open  door  at  the  other  end,  I 
could  hear  peaceful  and  easy-con- 
scienced   snores   issuing  from   the 
rooms  on  the  northern  side.     The 
priest  who  had  arranged  the  whole 
business  began  to  tell  me,  suggest- 
ing all  manner  of  direful  things, 
how    much    trouble   it   had    been, 
how  much  ashamed  he  was  to  come 
and  .see  me  because  the  man  inside 
wanted  so  much  money  for  passing 
me  in,  how,  if  they  were  ever  dis- 
covered   bringing    in   a   foreigner, 
their  heads  would  be  forfeit.     The 
pressing     need     for     money     was 
again  brought  home,  with  the  ter- 
rors of  the  Imperial  bodyguard,  the  Pa  Ta  Chen,  and  the 
alacrity  and  pleasure  with  which  they  would  decapitate 
the  innocent  offender. 

The  priest  with  me  waxed  confidential.  He  told  me 
of  the  life  of  the  lama,  the  training  from  childhood,  the 
monthly  stipend  of  rice — enough,  but  no  more  than  enough 
to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door.  He  told  me  of  Buddha, 
the  Great  and  Good;  how  he  came  to  Mongolia  many 
centuries  ago  to  preach  faith  and  kindness  to  all  manner 
of  living  things  and  how  it  was  their  duty  as  his  followers 
to  be  silent  and  introspective  and  lead  pure  lives.  As  he 
talked,  his  eyes  brightened,  and  he  was  carried  away  by 
his  own  words  into  that  pleasant  state  of  believing  that 
all  the  virtues  one  may  be  extolling  are  one's  own  per- 
sonal attributes  rather  than  intangible  generalities. 

The  lama  went  away  and  I  dozed  over  my  cigar,  inter- 
rupted now  and  then  by  attendants  who  keijt  pressing 
food  and  drink  on  me  until  I  had  an  annoying  stomach- 
ache. The  night  wore  on.  The  visitors  in  the  court- 
yard, high  priests  from  the  Yellow  Temple  north  of  the 
city,  awakened  and  demanded  tea,  talking  now  in  Mon- 


A    MANCHU   WOMAN 


gol,  now  in  Chinese,  bestirring  themselves  and  preparing 
for  a  long  vigil  before  the  altar. 

Soon  it  was  time  to  go  in.  Secreting  my  revolver 
(why,  I  hardly  know)  in  my  coat  pocket,  I  put  on  the 
purple  lama  robe  and  donned  the  flat,  cymbal-like  straw 
hat.  My  hair  had  been  clipped  earlier  in  the  evening — a 
wonderful  operation,  performed  by  a  priest  who  knelt  on 
the  brick  flagging  and  clipped  and  gouged  with  a  pair  of 
nail-scissors,  while  I  bowed  my 
head  almost  into  the  tallow  dip 
that  furnished  the  light  for  the 
amateur  barber.  Shuffling  along, 
I  followed  my  guide  through  the 
passageway  out  into  the  open. 
We  walked  along,  jostling  soldiers 
and  priests,  coolies  and  officials. 

There  was  no  time  to  waste,  for 
any  halt  might  mean  detection. 
Inside  the  second  enclosure  there 
were  fewer  people.  They  hustled 
me  up  a  steep  flight  of  stairs. 
Climbing  in  between  the  supports 
of  the  altar,  I  crouched  in  the  dust 
and  watched  the  light  flicker  and 
disappear  as  my  friend  Wang  went 
down  the  stairs  and  left  me  alone. 
I  sat  and  waited.  But  the  air 
became  too  stifling  in  my  hiding- 
place  and  I  ventured  out,  sitting 
on  one  of  the  praying-stools  in 
in  front  of  the  altar.  In  the  soft 
light  of  the  breaking  day  the  won- 
ders of  the  room  began  to  unfold 
themselves  before  me.  When  I 
had  first  mounted  the  stairs,  a  tiny 
light  had  glimmered  on  the  thrones 
of  four  altars,  but  it  had  spluttered 
out  and  left  me  in  darkness.  Now 
I  walked  about  the  great  room, 
feeling  the  shadowy  shapes  on  the 
long  rows  of  shelves  against  the 
walls,  wondering  each  minute 
whether  something  would  come 
crashing  down.  Hearing  steps,  I 
hurried  behind  a  partition  that  screened  off  the  altar  at 
the  southern  end. 

As  I  crouched  here,  I  saw  light  in  the  hallway,  and  a 
priest  appeared.  Suddenly  I  realized  that  my  shelter 
was  glass,  and  I  crouched  lower,  afraid  to  stir  lest  a 
rustle  or  creak  betray  me.  The  old  man  went  from  altar 
to  altar,  arranging  the  skull-goblets  of  wine,  lighting 
candles,  raising  to  his  forehead  the  brazen  vessels  which 
served  as  lamps  and  then  replacing  them  before  each 
divinity.  Finally,  to  my  relief,  he  went  away  and  trotted 
downstairs. 

I  resumed  my  wandering  then.  Great  scrolls  with 
parti-colored  sacred  de.signs  hung,  dust-covered,  from 
the  roof-beams,  curtaining  the  fronts  of  the  altars,  form- 
ing canopies  above  the  crowned  heads  of  the  Mongol  gods. 
I  examined  the  altar  settings,  the  lotus  stands,  the  double 
fishes,  the  draped  flags,  and  the  great  golden  idol,  impas- 
sive, forbidding  in  the  expression  of  its  set  smile  and 
half-closed  eyes,  sitting  enthroned  againist  a  background 
of  silken  paintings,  mellowed  by  dust  and  time  and 
scarcely   discernible.     On  either  side  again  were  other 


14 


altars,  and,  between  and  beyond,  tier  on  tier  of  small  clay 
images. 

From  afar  I  could  hear  the  bugles  of  the  Emperor's 
guard.  Wang  Lama  came  to  me  again,  this  time  with  a 
small  boy.  The  guardian  accompanied  him,  and  threw 
the  big  doors  wide  open.  At  the  bidding  of  my  guide  I 
went  softly  to  a  doorway,  and  lying  flat  on  the  floor, 
crept  along  the  sill,  and  then  carefully  crawled  over 
the  edge  of  the  balcony.  Through  a  small  break  in  the 
carving  I  could  see  all  that  was  going  on  in  the  court 
below.  The  eunuch,  who  had  for  hours  been  sitting  at 
the  entrance,  rose  and  held  up  a  long  wand  of  incense. 
The  bugles  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  and  at  last  ceased, 
and  we  knew  the  Emperor  had  come. 

Soon  we  heard  the  patter  of  approaching  footsteps. 
Led  by  a  high  official  came  a  double  file  of  eight  high 
priests,  red-button  men  in  yellow  lacquered  hats,  each 
carrying  a  stick  of  burning  incense.  They  advanced  at 
a  rapid  pace,  a  similar  column  coming  from  the  opposite 
side.  Another  official,  two  more  priests  in  tall  Yah-Nair 
helmets,  carrying  golden  censers-  and  then  the  Emperor. 
Behind  him  came  eight  more  priests  and  nine  princes  of 
the  blood. 

As  the  Emperor  made  his  obeisance  before  the  altar, 
the  priests  chanted  in  their  deep  tones  to  the  usual  accom- 
paniment of  drums  and  cymbals  and  trumpets.  It  was 
over  in  a  minute.  The  priests  went  on,  and  the  Emperor 
passed  through  the  Hen  to  the  next  altar.  The  follow- 
ers, large  men  carrying  many  parcels  wrapped  in  yellow 
silk — except  one  that  seemed  to  be  a  sword  sheathed  in 
yellow  plush  sauntered  after  him  in  a  most  disorderly 
manner  without  ceremony  of  any  kind. 

I  lay  quiet  for  a  few  moments  and  then  went  downstairs, 
where  I  waited  until  Wang  Lama  came  back  to  lead  me 
into  the  broad  daylight  again.  I  shuffled  along  through 
the  courtyard,  imitating  as  nearly  as  I  could  the  pace  of 
the  priests  I  had  been  watching.  The  Emperor's  chair 
stood  in  the  center  of  the  court,  resplendent  with  golden 
trappings  and  yellow  shafts,  the  bearers  in  white-spotted 
purple  gowns  of  gauze  and  spiked  helmets.  There  were 
fat  eunuchs,  and  offi- 
cers in  latter-day  uni- 
form, and  among  them 
all,  the  ever-present 
servant  with  tea. 

At  last  there  was  a 
stir.  All  eyes  turned 
to  the  east.  The  high 
priest  kneeled  and  the 
idlers  rose  to  their  feet 
in  expectancy.  Again 
the  priests  with  cen- 
sers, the  attendant 
officials  and  the  Em- 
peror. He  made  a  pe- 
culiar impression.  As 
you  saw  him,  wearing 
only  the  ordinary  hat 
with  the  blood-red  but- 
ton, a  dark  silken  sur- 
coat  that  hid  even  his 
dragon  badge,  it  was 
hard  to  realize  that 
this  very  young,  very 
delicate-looking     man  tien  lama 


V. 


was  the  ruler,  in  name  at 
least,  over  four  hundred 
million  people.  A  weak 
face  he  had,  with  arching, 
jet-black  eyebrows.  He 
kept  his  shoulders  and 
head  thrown  back  as  he 
walked  to  his  chair,  but  his 
eyes  were  on  the  ground. 
The  cortkje  passed  through 
the  side  gate  most  unpre- 
tentiously. 

Then  there  was  a  tu- 
multuous rush  of  priests 
for  the  temple  gate,  and 
through  this  melee  I  passed 
almost  unnoticed  out  into 
the  long  courtyard  and 
quickly  on  to  the  little  cell 
that  I  had  left  some  three 
hours  before.  People 
stared  at  me,  it  is  true, 
but  no  one  said  a  word. 
Wang  Lama  and  I  pledged 
each  other  in  a  cup  of 
wine.  Quickly  bundling 
up  my  own  occidental 
clothes  and  lighting  a 
cigar,  I  made  for  the  gate- 
way. The  Chinese  on  the 
street  jeered  a  little,  won- 
dering at  a  lama  so  tall 
and  so  red  withal. 


c 


V— ""■■ 


^"2 


^' 


\' 


TEMPLE  ATTENDANT 


[The  news  of  the  affair 
spread  quickly,  as  all  news 

does  in  Peking,  losing  nothing  in  color  and  piquancy,  and 
presently  came  to  the  L  G.'s  ears.     The  private  secretary 
was  summoned  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  talk  behind 
closed  doors,  and  again  the  know-alls  of  the  staff  predicted 
an    enforced    resignation.       A    highly 
favored  treatment  for  young  Customs 
employees  who  incurred  the  chief's  dis- 
pleasure was  a  transfer  to  some  desolate 
post  on  the  borders  of  Tibet  or  in  Mon- 
golia, and  this  fate  was  predicted  for 
Straight.     The  upshot  of  the  interview- 
was  that  the  L  G.  burst  unexpectedly 
into    laughter    and,    declaring    himself 
very  busy,  ordered  the  offender  back  to 
his    desk.     The    only    misfortune    that 
resulted  was  the  suspension  of  the  ac- 
commodating lama  from  his  job  for  one 
.  month,  and  his  upkeep  for  this  period 

JvV     fell  upon  Straight's  purse.] 

A  Twinge  of  Conscieiice — A  walk  with 
Shaw  to  the  Princes'  Tombs,  where  all 
was  bleak  and  cold,  the  trees  soughing 
■:'■■■■  in  the  cold  south  wind  that  came  whis- 

tling up  over  the  grave-strewn  plain  and 
bringing  whirls  of  dust  from  the  plowed 
fields.  In  the  evening  dined  with 
Flaherty  before  the  Shakespeare  reading 
at  which  we  finished   The  Merchant  of 


15 


-"*-  ^ 


•^:: 


'.I 


V%u 


V"f 


DOCTOR    GEORGE  E.   MORRISON,   CORRESPONDENT   FOR   THE   LONDON   "TIMES"   IN   PEKING 


Venice.  The  feeling  is  growing  on  me  that  I  ought  to 
up-stakes  and  dig  for  home,  lead  the  strenuous  life,  and 
be  a  man  in  a  world  of  men,  not  a  "pampered,  cursing 
fool  in  an  Eastern  clime". 

Sir  Robert  Hart's  Violin — Danced  at  Sir  Robert's  last 
night  and  had  a  farewell  to  Welbourne  at  the  club.  This 
afternoon  Sir  Robert  had  the  first  garden-party  of  the 
season.  Lady  Susan,  Lady  Arthur  Russell,  and  her 
daughters,  Mrs.  Fischer,  Miss  Cholmondeley  and  others. 
After  most  of  the  people  had  gone,  leaving  Count  von 
Schlippenbach,  Wilzer,  Richardson,  Mrs.  Bob  Little,  Mrs. 
Carruthers  and  myself,  Sir  Robert  produced  a  wonder- 
ful sort  of  violin,  a  sort  of  gramophone  with  strings, 
and  proceeded  to  play  a  few  notes  thereon.  The  Count 
then  took  it  and  played  rather  prettily,  the  L  G.  watch- 
ing him,  aghast  all  the  time  lest  he  should  damage  it,  and 
the  minute  he  had  finished,  snatching  the  instrument  and 
running  away  with  it  like  a  child  with  a  favorite  toy. 

Concerning   Sir   Robert  Hart,  the  Ingpcrlor-dnirriil 


I  dined  with  Mr.  Aglen  [now  Sir  Francis  Aglen,  the 
present  inspector-general]  tonight,  and  after  dinner  he 
discussed  the  L  G.  at  length,  reviewing  the  old  man's 
career.  In  the  early  days  Robert  Hart  was  a  consular 
student,  grinding  at  Chinese,  later  deputy  commissioner 
at  Canton,  then  in  charge  of  the  Yangtze  valley  a  young 
man  of  twenty-four,  dictating  to  men  far  older  than  him- 
self and  with  far  longer  record  in  the  service,  fighting  the 
prejudice  of  his  employers,  the  Chinese,  on  one  side  and 
the  hostility  of  the  foreign  mercantile  community  on  the 
other,  steering  straight  and  clean  through  the  turbulent 
waters. 

He  never  shirked  responsibility.  His  keen  judgment 
sorted  the  important  from  the  worthless.  His  remarkable 
memory  stored  up  precedent  after  precedent  on  all  cases. 
Building  up  his  service,  pulling  order  out  of  chaos,  ruling 
with  a  firm  hand,  he  yet  found  time  for  little  loves,  for  let- 
ters and  poetry.  He  was  at  his  heyday  in  the  eighties, 
when  there  were  no  international  jealousies  in  China, 
when  a  ininister  came  out  to  hibernate  for  a  year  or  two, 
sit  tight,  save  money  and  romp  on  to  new  fields    -when 


16 


all  business  with  the  Chinese  was  done  by  having  the 
diplomats  call  on  Sir  Robert  and  get  his  advice  and  act 
accordingly. 

His  prestige  among  the  Chinese  was  unassailable  then. 
Year  after  year  the  plot  thickened,  but  he  still  played  his 
game,  enlarging  his  field  of  usefulness  with  the  larger 
needs  of  the  Eastern  question.  Strong  in  his  position, 
with  a  vast  knowledge  of  Chinese  character  and  view- 
point, he  has  been  the  most  notable  figure  in  Eastern 
politics. 

He  is  cordially  hated -not  for  himself,  perhaps,  but 
for  his  institutions  by  all  provincial  officials.  But  all 
men  appointed  from  the  capital  to  provincial  posts  call 
on  the  I.  G. 

A  man  with  a  tremendous  brain  and  a  rare  genius  for 
organization.    Yet  he  takes  interest  in  every  little  thing, 
knows  all  that  goes  on  about  him,  writes  notes  on  friend 
ship  and  love  to  many  and  many  a  maiden. 

A  Collection  of  Buddhas — This  afternoon  Dr.  Kor- 
sakoff very  kindly  took  me  to  see  the  collection  of 
Buddhas  owned  by  Gomboieff,  the  Russian  postmaster, 
and  a  splendid  sight  it  is.  The  old  fellow,  a  Buriat, 
grizzled  and  wrinkled,  with  a  face  of  marked  Mongolian 
type,  has  been  in  Peking  thirty  years.  He  has  charge  of 
the  large  mail-bags  that  go  down  each  day  for  a  rapid 
trip  across  Manchuria  and  Siberia. 

GomboiefT's  brother  was  a  lama,  very  high  in  his  call- 
ing, a  living  Buddha  in  fact,  holding  sway  over  a  tre- 
mendous lamasery  in  southern  Mongolia.  Through  him 
the  postmaster  had  got  his  treasures.  He  told  me  that 
before  the  siege  he  had  more  than  a  thousand  specimens. 
Now  he  is  reduced  to  seven  hundred.  There  are  gods  of 
all  sorts  and  sizes — bronze,  wood,  gold,  silver — sitting, 
standing,  lying — fierce  gods  riding  blue-faced  bulls, 
Mongol  skull-devils  painted  and  graven. 

He  has  pictures  as  well,  and  inlaid  models  of  pagodas. 
His  bedroom  is  next  the  hall  where  he  has  his  treasures 
arranged,  tier  on  tier,  shelf  on  shelf,  and  on  the  table 
there  are  still  other  gods  not  yet  classified.  There  are 
scrolls  on  the  walls,  and  books  of  prayer — indeed,  all  the 
paraphernalia  of  a  temple.  Golden  and  silver  lions  and 
elephants  on  carved-wood  pedestals  guard  the  entrance 
to  his  sanctuary.  I  had  to  talk  French  to  Dr.  Korsakoff 
and  Chinese  to  the  old  Buriat,  while  they  talked  with 
each  other  in  Russian.  I  shall  go  again  and  often  and 
become  steeped  in  the  lore  of  the  Holy  Man  of  the  East. 

Home  Is  the  Place — A  talk  with  X on  the  Tertium 

Quid  question.  As  in  many  other  things  his  ideas  are 
easy,  kindly  and  altogether  like  himself — passive,  lacking 
in  force.  Whether  this  is  due  to  his  bad  health  or  to  some 
peculiar  moral  kink  I  don't  know.  In  his  life,  unsatis- 
factory as  it  must  be,  he  finds  a  certain  doleful  pleasure 
in  thinking,  "Who  am  I  that  I  should  have  more?"  He 
seems  to  feel  himself  cast  upon  the  tide  of  life,  to  be  car- 
ried hither,  thither,  willy,  nilly,  satisfied  if  he  only  keeps 
his  head  up  and  goes  easily  without  too  great  a  jarring  by 
hostile  floods. 

To  me  this  seems  cowardly.  'Tis  better  to  have  fought 
and  lost  than  never  to  have  fought  at  all.  Sometimes  I 
must  try  the  fight,  either  by  keeping  myself  headed  for 
the  mark  in  China,  forcing  upon  myself  a  life  of  energy 
and  endeavor,  or  by  going  home  and  having  the  necessity 


of  strife  forced  upon  me  by  powers  over  which  I  have  no 
control.  There  is  nothing  in  the  life  of  a  succe.ssful  com- 
missioner of  customs  to  stir  one's  heart-strings.  China 
port  life  must  be  a  dull,  unsatisfactory  thing  at  best. 
Home  is  the  place.  Shall  I  start  on  a  five  years'  course  of 
preparation  or  not?  This  cannot  go  on.  Peking  is  bet- 
ter than  all  other  places  in  China  -and  Peking  is  unen- 
durable. 

More  Good  Resolutions—  This  dining-out  business  is 
interesting,  often  even  fascinating  and  largely  worth- 
less. It  is  not  work,  nor  Chinese,  nor  politics,  nor  any- 
thing. If  one  does  not  buckle  down  to  learn  things  when 
one  is  young,  when,  I'd  like  to  know,  will  one  ever  have 
the  time  to  do  it?  Again  it  was  brought  home  to  me 
what  a  fool  I  have  been  not  to  read  more  in  Morrison's 
library  [probably  the  most  famous  library  on  China 
in  the  world,  sold  by  Dr.  Morrison  to  the  Japanese]  and 
keep  myself  better  informed  on  the  East.  I  must  brace 
up  and  become  serious. 

Another  International  Koiv  -  This  time  it's  the  Japanese 
and  Germans.  On  the  Japanese  side  the  trouble  was  of 
long  standing.  Madame  Butterfly  had  been  more 
thrifty  than  patriotic,  and  while  her  own  countrymen, 
being  poorly  paid,  had  sipped  their  beer  unkissed  by  the 
fair  maids  who  thronged  the  place,  Germans  and  Amer 
icans  and  British  had  been  in  high  favor. 

The  men  of  Mars  from  Japan  resented  the  sordid  slight 
put  upon  them,  and  when  a  new  draft  of  troops  came,  they 
were  heirs  to  the  old  grudge.  On  New  Year's  Day,  being 
more  rather  than  less  tight,  a  band  of  soldiers  began  to 
make  themselves  objectionable  all  around  the  place. 
Not  content  with  this,  they  started  to  maul  the  poor 
woman  who  was  proprietress.  She,  thinking  more  of  her 
New  Year's  finery  than  of  her  person,  set  up  a  howl. 

The  chivalrous  mailed  fist  from  the  vicinity  of  central 
Europe  could  not  stand  for  this;  so  it  pulled  itself  to- 
gether and  went  to  the  rescue.  A  fine  row  ensued.  One 
of  the  Jappies  made  off  in  the  direction  of  the  barracks 
and  yelled  for  help.  The  Germans,  knowing  it  would 
soon  not  be  healthy  for  them  in  that  neighborhood, 
cleared,  leaving  the  Japanese  the  field. 

In  a  few  minutes  some  sixty  came  rushing  in  to  find 
their  sturdy  foemen  a  minus  quantity.  Speeches  fol- 
lowed, and  it  was  at  last  decided  that  the  place  was  a  blot 
on  the  Hata  Men  Street  and  had  never  treated  them 
fairly  anyway.  So  they  broke  up  the  furniture,  smashed 
the  mirrors,  broke  the  lamps — in  short,  demolished  the 
whole  shop. 

No  international  complications  will  follow,  for  it  was 
the  place  rather  than  the  Germans  that  the  Japanese 
were  bent  on  damaging —  and  they  succeeded  reasonably 
well. 

An  Anniversary — This,  January  third,  is  the  anniver- 
sary of  my  arrival  in  Shanghai.  Where  will  Willard  be  a 
year  from  now?  A  twelvemonth  holds  as  many  pos- 
sibilities— what  will  happen  none  but  a  prophet  may  tell, 
and  I  am  not  that. 

[In  less  than  a  month  after  this.  Straight  had  resigned 
from  the  Customs  and  was  on  his  way  to  Japan  as  a 
correspondent  for  the  Associated  Press  and  Reuter's  in 
the  Russo-Japanese  War.] 


17 


t^t\er» 


Chapter  111 
WAR  CORRESPONDENT 


ON  Tuesday  evening  the  first  of  the  mighty  host  of 
rumors  which  are  sure  to  set  tongues  wagging 
during  the  next  few  months  came  in,  telling  of 
the  heavy  firing  that  had  been  heard  at  Shanhai-kuan  and 
Peitai-ho,  towns  on  the  Gulf  of  Peichihli  and  about  a 
hundred  miles  in  a  straight  line  from  Port  Arthur." 

Willard  Straight  made  this  entry  in  his  diary  February 
10,  1904.  It  was  his  record  of  the  ojjening  of  the  Russo- 
Japanese  War.  And  he  continued  to  tell  of  the  excite- 
ment in  Peking  in  the  days  following. 

"Saw  Morrison  at  noon  and  he  was  jubilant.  'I  have 
waited  six  years  for  this  war  and  I've  ho[)ed  for  it  and 
prayed  for  it,  and  when  the  telegram  came  the  other 
night,  I  could  hardly  sleep,  I  was  so  excited.'  He  carries 
a  small  sort  of  Brassey  in  his  pocket  with  the  names  of 
all  cruisers  in  the  Far  East  ticked  off  in  Idue  pencil  most 
methodical! 

"The  Japanese  have  been  fiistributing  small  handl)ills 
— yesterday,  with  the  story  of  their  first  victories;  today, 
with  the  dates  when  war  began.  They  have  posted  a 
huge  bulletin  in  the  Chien  Men  arch,  the  busiest  part  of 
the  city,  and  a  man  stands  pointing  it  out  to  passers-by. 
It  seems  a  strange  move  with  many  potentialities.  It  is 
the  time  of  year  [Chinese  New  Year]  when  the  most 
gossiping  is  done,  so  that  the  whole  city  is  agog.  Then, 
too,  the  place  is  full  of  Mongols  and  Russian  prestige  is 
bound  to  suffer  tremendously.  For  these  nomads  will 
carry  the  story  of  the  Muscovite  defeat  |the  rumor  of 
Japanese  torpedo-boats  sliding  in  among  the  Russian 
fleet,  sinking  battle-ships]  back  to  their  native  plains  all 
through  Central  Asia.  The  terror  with  which  the  name 
of  the  Creat  White  Czar  fdls  the  wanderer's  breast  will 
turn  as  the  story  of  his  reverses  is  passed  from  niirl  to 
yitrl. 


"Sir  Robert  had  Shanghai  and  Chefoo  telegrams  telling 
of  the  annihilation  of  the  Russian  fleet  off  Port  Arthur. 
Mr.  Aglen  brought  the  news  to  the  office.  The  staff  im- 
mediately turned  itself  into  a  council  of  war.  Kurosawa 
had  been  sent  off  post  haste  to  the  Japanese  Minister  to 
verify,  if  possible,  the  current  rumors.  He  came  back 
trembling  with  excitement.  Nothing  official  had  been 
received,  nothing  but,  he  added,  it  seemed  that  there 
had  been  a  wire  telling  of  a  naval  engagement.  Yes, 
something  of  that  sort  was  known.  It  might  be  true;  he 
didn't  know.  'Y-you  know  I  d-don't  take  much  interest 
in  all  these  rumors;  I  am  a  peace  man.'  And  he  sat  down 
with  the  despatch  upside  down  in  front  of  him.  One 
could  see  that  he  was  full  of  information,  wild  with  a  de- 
sire to  tell,  yet  keeping  a  stiff  hold  until  finally  the  strain 
was  too  great  and  he  burst  forth. 

"The  SliKii  Tim  Sliih  Pao,  the  Chino-Japanese  paper 
that  has  been  distributing  the  extras,  has  been  instructed 
that  any  such  course  in  the  future  will  be  severely  dealt 
with.  This  comes  from  the  Legation.  How  far  this 
outward  show  may  be  sincere  no  one  can  tell.  Certainly 
the  wholesale  diffusion  of  the  news  of  Japanese  victories 
has  had  a  tremendous  effect  on  the  Chinese  mind  and  the 
city  is  highly  excited.  The  common  people  are  said  to 
believe  that  China  is  again  at  war  with  the  foreign  Pow- 
ers, that  the  Russian  losses  have  been  inflicted  by  Chinese 
men-of-war  and  that  the  troops  at  Shanhai-kuan  will 
soon  come  into  collision  with  the  Czar's  forces.  This 
may  lead  to  unpleasant  develoi)ments  if  it  be  not  stopped 
at  once." 

The  news  brought  (luick  action  from  Straight.  "The 
last  week  has  witnessed  about,  as  complete  a  change  in  all 
my  plans  as  could  well  lie  imagined.  On  Tuesday  night 
came  a  wire  from  Collins  (Robert  Moore  Collins,  Peking 


18 


correspondent  for  the 
Associated  Press  and 
Reuter's],  directing 
Gatrell  to  send  me  on 
to  Nagasaki.  My  de- 
light knew  no  bounds. 
The  time  for  which  I 
had  been  hoping  for 
nearly  two  months 
past  had  come  at  last, 
and  it  was  time  for  me  to 
decide  whether  or  not 
the  Customs  could  hold 
me  in  its  Dragon's 
claws.  On  Wednesday 
morning  I  saw  Aglen, 
who,  at  his  morning's  interview,  told  the  I.  G.  that  I 
wanted  to  leave  to  go  to  the  front  as  a  war  correspondent. 
When  I  saw  Sir  Robert  a  little  while  after,  he  was  very 
kind  indeed. 

"I  received  many  letters  from  many  people:  from  Mr. 
Conger  [American  minister  at  Peking]  to  Griseom  and  Al- 
len [American  ministers  at  Tokyo  and  Seoul  respectively[, 
from  Sir  Ernest  [Sir  Ernest  Satow,  British  minister  at 
PekingI  to  Sir  Claude  Macdonald  [British  minister  at 
Tokyo[,  Jordan  [British  minister  at  Seoul],  Brinkley  and 
Young  [British  editors  in  Japan],  as  w-ell  as  Viscount  Aoki, 
formerly  minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  from  Uchida  [Japa- 
nese minister  at  Peking]  to  Baron  Komura  [minister  for 
Foreign  Affairs[  and  Baron  Chinda,  as  well  as  Major  Gen- 
eral Fukushima,  from  Mumm  to  Graf  von  Arco-Valley,  as 
well  as  minor  ones  to  more  mod- 
est people.  Thus  equipped  I 
could  say  farewell  to  the  steady 
old  service,  particularly  since, 
on  leaving,  the  I.  G.  had  written 
me  a  very  nice  letter  and  sent 
me  his  photograph,  telling  me — 
at  least,  so  it  seemed — through 
Aglen,  that,  when  I  was  looking 
for  something  else  in  China,  I 
had  better  go  to  him  first." 

Men  from  all  the  legations, 
from  his  own  Customs  circle 
and  from  the  banks  and  trading 
companies,  came  to  see  Straight 
off  at  the  train.  ''I  have 
burned  my  bridges"  this  in  a 
letter  to  Claude  Bragdon,  the 
architect  in  whose  office  he  had 
once  worked  during  a  summer 
vacation — "and  am  off  to  the 
wars  as  a  correspondent  for 
Reuter's  and  the  A.  P.,  with  a 
sketch-book  in  one  hand  and  a 
pad  in  the  other  and  a  telegraph 
wire  around  my  neck.  I  am  in 
high  fettle,  for  I  see  chances  for 
much  exciting  e.xperience  and 
many  real  sketches." 

At  Tokyo,  Straight  soon  dis- 
covered that  the  conditions  of 
modern  warfare  imposed  new 
limitations  upon  the  war  cor- 
respondent's    freedom    of     ac- 


THE   KOREAN — CALM   AND 
CONTENT  WITH  THE  WORLD 


tion,  and  that  the 
Japanese  taxed  his 
powers  to  the  utmost. 
"The  air  of  the  Im- 
perial Hotel  was  a 
bright  blue  from  early 
morn  to  golden  sun- 
set," he  wrote.  "F'a- 
mous  correspondents, 
veterans  of  countless 
campaigns,  were  held 
up,  bound  hand  and 
foot,  by  the  dapper  lit- 
tle Orientals  whose  at- 
titude throughout  has 
been  greatly  wondered 
at  and  most  profanely  admired.  There  was  a  Knight 
of  the  Telegraph,  who  lost  an  arm  in  South  Africa; 
Melton  Prior,  the  artist  of  the  lUuMrated  London  News; 
O.  K.  Davis,  with  Richard  [Richard  Harding  Davis[  on 
the  road;  Frederick  Palmer  of  Collier's;  Bass  of  the 
Chicago  Herald;  Martin  Egan  of  the  Associated  Press; 
Collins  for  Reuter's  and  a  host  of  others  less  notable  but 
equally  discontent.  The  situation  is  unique  in  the 
annals  of  journalism.  A  government  holding  the  rabid 
pressmen  at  a  distance,  censoring  their  simplest  stories, 
yet  patting  them  on  the  back,  dining  them,  wining  them, 
giving  them  picnics  and  luncheons  and  theatrical  per- 
formances, and  trying  in  every  way  to  make  their  stay  a 
pleasant  one,  but,  siren-like,  to  deaden  their  sense  of  duty 
and  their  desire  to  get  into  the  field,  affords  a  spectacle 

that  few  have  ever  witnessed. 
Yet  such  is  the  daring  game 
that  the  Japanese  government 
has  taken  upon  itself  to  play." 
Japan  brought  back  to  him 
memories  of  his  childhood  days 
in  Tokyo.  "The  street  smells 
were  old  friends,"  he  wrote  at 
Kobe  on  his  way  to  the  capital. 
"I  knew  the  rancid  odor  of  the 
fish-shops,  the  reek  of  the 
pickled  turnips,  the  scent  of  the 
bean-cake;  and  across  the  chasm 
of  the  years  came  recollections 
of  the  highways  I  had  rick- 
shawed  through  in  the  old  days 
when  Japan  was  not  the  world- 
power  she  has  made  herself 
today.  There  is  a  refinement 
in  the  architecture,  a  delicacy 
in  even  the  wooden  lattice  on 
the  meanest  house,  that  charms 
one  after  the  heavy  rudeness  of 
the  Chinese  street."  But  the 
encroachments  of  the  western 
world  spoiled  the  picture  when 
he  had  seen  a  little  more  of 
Tokyo.  "To  see  a  gray-haired 
Oriental,  in  silk  and  in  wooden 
shoes,  strangely  capped  with  a 
Dutch  derby  or  something 
equally  comic,  stepping  from  a 
modern  electric  car,  has  in  it  an 
element  of  unfitness.   Flowered, 


19 


well-drawn  posters  proclaim  the  merits  of  various  kinds 
of  beer.  The  countryside  is  made  hideous  with  great 
white  characters  advertising  cigarettes.  One  hoped  that 
the  Japanese,  an  essentially  artistic  race,  might  have 
retained  their  ancient  traditions,  simple,  delicate,  esthet- 
ic, yet  be  a  business  people  at  the  same  time.  But  the 
race  for  the  almighty  dollar  has  in  it  some  insidious  poison 
that  taints  the  purest  ideals." 

As  a  war  correspondent.  Straight  was  a  speculation. 
He  was  neither  conversant  with  the  tricks  of  the  reporter's 
trade,  nor  had  he  had  occasion  to  discover  whether  he  had 
a  "nose  for  news".  It  was  no  doubt  his  consuming 
interest  in  the  international  struggle,  even  more  than  his 
quick  intelligence,  that  first  sugg(>sted  him  to  Collins  as 
promising  material.  With  the  imprisoned  group  of 
correspondents  of  international  reputation,  under  the 
orders  of  two  veterans,  Collins  and  Martin  Egan,  his 
first  lesson  in  practical  newspaper  work  began.  His 
daily  task  consisted  in  going  back  and  forth  between  the 
offices  of  diplomats  and  government  officials.  When  the 
newspaper  men  were  finally  let  out  of  leash,  the  Japanese 
and  Russian  armies  confronted  each  other  along  the  Yalu, 
which  forms  the  boundary  between  Korea  and  Man- 
churia. Seoul,  the  capital  of  Korea,  was  the  chief  inland 
station  on  the  rumor  line.  Straight  was  assigned  to 
cover  it.  The  Japanese  were  absolute  masters  of  Korea 
as  .soon  as  war  with  Ru.ssia  began.  They  usefl  the  t)orts 
and  shipping,  government  buildings  and  grounds  as  they 
pleased.  Troops  were  quartered  and  fed  on  the  country 
as  the  military  operations  demanded.  According  to 
the  new  treaty,  Japan  guaranteed  the  integrity  and 
independence  of  Korea  this  sounded  well  but  it  ac- 
tually a.ssumed  a  protectorate.  It  had  a  thorough  con- 
tempt for  its  ward  and  took  no  pains  to  conceal  it. 
Not   only  did    Tokyo  dictate  the  policy  as  to  foreign 


affairs — it  virtually  took  over  the  internal  administration- 
Straight's  rare  gift  for  winning  the  confidence  of  men  in 
high  place  compensated  for  his  lack  of  newspaper  ex- 
perience. He  was  soon  on  friendly  terms  with  the 
Japanese  officials  stationed  in  Seoul,  the  personages  of 
the  native  imperial  court,  and,  more  important,  with 
half  a  dozen  or  so  Americans  and  Englishmen  who  had 
lived  in  Korea  many  years,  who  knew  the  ins  and  outs  of 
governmental  and  social  life,  and  who  were  prepared  to 
give  invaluable  hints  to  a  stranger  to  whom  they  took  a 
liking. 

"McDonnel  and  myself  dined  with  Hagiwara  and 
Kuroda  at  a  Japanese  restaurant,"  Straight  wrote  in 
May.  "Geishas  danced  and  I  cannot  say  that  I  was 
particularly  impressed.  Their  attitudes  seemed  awk- 
ward, particularly  the  strange  heel  and  toe  movement. 
Hagiwara's  song  on  the  beauties  of  Seoul  impressed  me 
more  than  anything  else.  He,  the  first  secretary  of  the 
Legation,  sat  there  and  sang  of  the  spring  flowers,  the 
tender  greens  of  the  foliage  near  his  home,  of  the  summer 
scenes  on  the  river,  the  silver  shining  moon,  of  the  autumn 
and  the  golden  maple,  of  the  snows  that  come  with  the 
shortened  days,  and  the  whitened  hills.  He  improvised 
as  he  went  along.  He  seemed  so  near  to  nature!  It  is 
the  keynote  of  Japanese  life.  The  diplomat,  the  man 
who  with  his  chiefs  outwitted  the  Russians,  sang  of  the 
simple  woodland  and  its  charms.  We  cold  Westerners 
are  too  fearful  of  raising  a  scornful  laugh  ever  to  show  our 
true  feelings  in  such  an  open  way.  The  soldier  fighting 
with  every  scientific  appliance  known  in  modern  warfare, 
understanding  its  mechanism,  finds  pleasure  in  admiring 
the  iris  bloom  or  the  cherry  blossoms!" 

But,  despite  the  help  he  got  from  the  friends  he  made, 
Straight  feared  that  he  was  not  breaking  even  in  the 
news  race.  "Stiff  competition,  certainly,"  he  wrote 
after  running  back  and  forth  between  legations.  "I 
was  well  discouraged  this  afternoon  after  making  two 
absolutely  futile  visits  to  the  Foreign  Office.  I've  been 
in  charge  two  days  and  sent  three  wires,  of  what  value  I 
know  not.     Time  will  tell. 

"The  more  I  read  in  the  other  papers,  the  more  I  am 


^,»l;^. 


AN    AKGUMKNT 


20 


convinced  that  my  lack  of  experience  is  a  great  handicap, 
a  difficulty  that  must  and  will  be  overcome.  Another 
thing — I  must  not  say  unkind  things  about  people,  nor 
must  I  get  too  enthusiastic.  Freshness  must  above  all 
things  be  avoided.  What  a  damned  fool  one  can  be  on 
occasion!  Steady  at  the  game,  always  at  your  intel- 
lectual best,  always  observant,  making  notes  that's 
the  way  to  do  it.     Now  go." 

It  interested  him  to  compare  the  Koreans  with  other 
Orientals,  both  in  appearance  and  in  character. 

"There  is  more  color,"  he  wrote,  "much  more  of  a 
pictorial  quality,  for  some  reason,  than  one  feels  in 
a  Chinese  thoroughfare:  the  white-garbed  men,  their 
flimsy  hats,  sometimes  straight,  sometimes  cocked 
rakishly  over  one  eye,  the  huge  umbrella  under  which  the 
mourner  wends  his  way  and  the  small  flag-screen  he  holds 
to  hide  the  deep  lines  of  sorrow  that  sadden  his  features; 
the  women  Moorish  they  seem,  almost  with  their 
cloaks  over  their  heads.  Green  is  the  prevalent  color, 
white  is  common,  purple  one  seldom  sees.  Children  run 
about,  their  pigtails  flapping,  a  gay  sight  in  pink  coats. 

"The  Korean  seems  to  typify  the  spirit  of  the  Orient 
in  the  chrysalis —a  white  cocoon.  In  China  it  was  the 
Taoist  priest  who  brought  back  most  vividly  the  mind- 
picture  that  fairy  tales  and  mellowed  kakemono  had 
formed  when  I  was  a  small  boy  in  Japan.  About  the 
snowy-garbed  Korean  there  is  the  atmosphere  of  a 
Japanese  print;  there  is  a  thinness  of  coloring,  a  softness, 
that  impresses  itself  upon  me,  in  a  sentimental  way 
entirely.  So  calm,  so  dignified  he  seems,  so  absolutely 
self-contained,  as  he  saunters  on  his  way  he  does  not 
stroll  nor  stride  -puffing  his  pipe,  content  with  the  world, 
evidently  and  above  all  content  with  himself. 

"And  in  this  land  so  much  more  benighted,  if  you  will 


"t 


'■    -       :,'',J 


<,^■L 


SVrdigKt 

1 9  a  S^. 


,7 


A    WHITE-GARBED    KOREAN 


GENERAL    KUROKI,    VICTOR    OF    THE    YALU 

use  the  term,  so  much  more  itself  and  of  itself  than  its 
island  neighbor-  so  much  less  sordid  and  prosaic  than  its 
continental  neighbor  one  finds  the  trolley-car  pounding 
through  the  streets,  and,  strangest  of  all,  the  one  American 
business  house  that  I  have  seen  in  all  the  Far  East  that 
lives  up  to  its  home  ideals  and  observes  the  regulation 
oflSce  hours,  eight  to  six." 

The  Japanese  government  organized  a  junket  for 
members  of  the  House  of  Peers  and  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, officials  of  the  Foreign  Office  and  foreign  military 
and  naval  attaches.  Straight  was  one  of  the  newspaper 
men  who  went  along  on  the  Manchuria.  The  plan  was 
to  arrive  at  Port  Arthur  in  time  to  see  the  Japanese  forces, 
land  and  sea,  make  their  final  attack.  They  did  not  see 
the  fall  of  Port  Arthur — that  event  was  to  be  postponed 
for  many  months  but  they  did  sail  up  the  Yalu  where 
they  saw  the  Japanese  fleet  and  were  received  by  the 
great  Admiral  Togo  on  his  flag-ship. 

"The  little  man,  quiet,  modest,  stepped  into  the 
crowded,  stifling  ward-room.  He  was  simple — his  face 
browned  by  exposure,  deep  lines  around  his  mouth.  He 
addressed  us,  through  Captain  Takarabe  as  interpreter, 
and  told  us  that  he  was  honored  by  our  presence. 

"Frederick  Villiers  started  to  answer,  but  Wright, 
who  was  standing  directly  in  front  of  the  Admiral,  took 
the  words  from  his  mouth  and  told  him  what  an  honor  we 
felt  had  been  conferred  upon  us.  Colquhoun  then 
stepped  in  and  on  behalf  of  the  British  press  thanked  the 
Admiral  with  further  protestations  of  an  undeserved 
honor.  Then,  when  that  had  been  translated,  taking  the 
matter  in  my  own  hands,  on  behalf  of  the  Associated 
Press,  I,  too,  thanked  the  Admiral,  told  him  how  the 
American    people    had    followed    his    every    move    and 


21 


honored  him  above  all  the  admirals  at  the  present  day. 
He  thanked  me.  The  servants  brought  in  champagne 
and  we  drank  to  his  health  and  future  victories.  It  was 
an  international  tribute  to  the  Admiral.  As  in  every 
similar  case,  he  was  bored — bored  to  death." 

Before  the  party  left,  Togo  signed  the  sketch  that 
Straight  had  made  of  him  during  the  exchange  of  cour- 
tesies. 

Toward  the  end  of  July,  Straight  was  back  in  the  whirl 
of  Tokyo.  Battles  had  been  fought.  Well  as  the  war 
had  come  so  far,  the  outcome  was  by  no  means  certain. 
Everybody  was  excited  and  anxious.  Frederick  Palmer 
and  others  were  back  from  the  battlefields.  They  told  of 
the  bloody  struggles  in  which  Kuroki's  armies  had  been 
engaged.     "Palmer  was  one  of  the  most  interesting  of 


J 


with  the  last  rays  of  the  closing  day.  Then  the  old  man 
arose,  as  one  with  the  rheumatism,  and  walked  toward  his 
village  headquarters.  The  chill  of  evening  was  in  the 
kaoliang,  the  evening  breeze  bore  the  stench  of  his  na- 
tion's dead,  the  foul  battle-dust,  the  sound  of  distant 
firing." 

"After  dinner  I  had  some  talk  with  Donohue  of  the 
London  Chronicle.  He  was  full  of  the  Sha-ho  fight. 
With  Kuroki's  army  he  had  been  permitted  to  go  every- 
where and  had  had  his  fill  of  ghastliness.  One  clump  of 
Russian  dead  lay  huddled  in  the  trenches,  surrounded  by 
a  ring  of  dead  in  Japanese  khaki.  In  the  center  of  the 
awful  pile  lay  a  drummer  boy,  his  arm  around  his  drum, 
his  drumsticks  tightly  clenched  in  blood-reddened  hands. 
The  sheepskin  of  the  drumheads  was  torn  and  riddled. 
He  had  played  till  the  bitter  end  'the  drums  of  the  fore 
and  aft'.  General  Kuroki  was  passing  by.  He  looked 
silently,  grimly,  over  the  dead-strewn  field.  He  rode 
along  the  trenches  and,  as  he  saw  the  border  of  this 
heroic    little    band,    he    dismounted,    went    nearer    and 

looked,  saluted 
and  walked 
away." 


I- 


W\ 


ii 


*^ 


§: 


i.     M       t 


THE    HARHDK    OF    NACA.SAKI 

the  returned  heroes,"  Straight  wrote.  "The  Japanese 
artillery,  he  says,  is  not  as  good  as  the  Russian.  The 
latter  can  shoot  farther  and  faster.  Another  point  is  that 
the  Japanese,  in  his  artillery  work  as  in  everything  else,  is  a 
textbook  man.  Rule  and  rote  he  can  appreciate  and  work 
out  originality  he  has  none.  In  organization  the  army 
doubtless  has  no  superior  in  the  world,  but  the  Japanese 
soldier  hasn't  the  dash  and  verve  of  the  white  man. 

"After  three  days  of  fighting  at  Heiying-lai,  Kuroki 
seemed  to  realize  that  he  was  up  against  it.  Palmer 
.saw  him  on  the  hillside  (previous  to  a  great  Japanese  vic- 
tory], so  the  story  goes,  sciuatting  on  his  haunches,  his 
head  in  his  hands,  looking  over  the  dust-shrouded  valley 
into  the  red  sunset  his  bronzed  faced  hard,  his  eyes  steel. 
The  old  man  had  tried  every  trick  and  had  always  been 
driven  back  by  a  leaden  hell-fire.  These  people  whom  he 
had  defeated  stoutly  for  six  months  were  holding  him  at 
last.  He  looked  across  at  the  Russian  positions,  the 
white  smoke-puffs,   the  yellow-brown   dust,   golden-red 


"Davis  [Rich- 
ard Harding] 
came  back  day 
before  yester- 
day. He  didn't 
look  as  I  had 
imagined  he 
would;  nor 
did  he  talk  in 
the  way.  His 
accent  was  de- 
_«^  cidedly  Ameri- 

— . -«i; — >-.  "  .  can,  his  speech 
quick,  his  lips 
firm,  his  eye  ner- 
vous and  bright. 
Egan  says  that 
he  was  not  up  to 
his  usual  form. 
The  Lady  [Mrs. 
Davis]  watched 
him  and  smiled  contentedly.  She  beamed.  She  was 
happy.  Before,  she  had  been  lonely  a  good  deal.  We 
had  a  drink  or  two.  They  told  stories  of  the  campaign  in 
Manchuria.  Davis  told  the  strange  story  of  'Wang',  the 
servitor  and  menial  to  George  Lynch  of  Ireland.  Trained 
was  Wang  to  the  ways  of  the  wily  correspondent.  He 
had  first  been  washed.  He  was  proud  of  it  and  showed 
his  ochered  skin  with  pride,  glorying  in  the  paleness  of 
what  had  formerly  been  but  caked  mud.  Wang  was 
then  sent  through  the  institute,  which  had  a  faculty  of 
three.  The  cigarettes  were  always  to  be  found  under 
Brill's  bed.  Davis  .signed  chits  and  all  visitors  were  given 
drinks  upon  entering  the  room.  There  was  a  small 
manual  in  connection  with  the  latter:  'Present!'  and 
Wang  held  the  bottle  in  front  of  him;  'Ready!'  'Aim!' 
'Fire!'  and  the  whisky  flowed.  'When'  was  the  signal 
for  brakes  but  only  that.  To  stop  was  fatal  that  is,  on 
the  word  rather  than  a  little  after.  Wang  had  a  Tansan 
opener  and  corkscrew  as  his  badges  of  office  and  was  then 


22 


A   JAPANESE    STUDENT 


given  a  dollar  watch.  This 
he  wanted  to  show  every- 
one and  compare  other 
people's  time  with  his. 
Lynch  wanted  to  take  him 
to  the  front.  Wang  was 
not  so  anxious.  When  the 
'show-down'  came,  there 
was  much  wailing  and 
shaking  knees.  Wang  did 
not  go  and  Lynch  trekked 
for  Newchwang  without 
the  whisky  soldier." 

"Tonight  Murata,  the 
inventor  of  the  rifle,  dined 
with  us  the  chief  of  the 
General  Staff,  Yamagata's 
aide.  I  came  past  him  as 
he  was  making  his  way 
toward  the  house.  One 
of  the  brightest  officers 
in  Japan,  he  had  only  a 
single  rickshaw.  He  was 
walking  up  the  steep  hill 
— he  and  his  officers.  Such  simplicity  is  to  be  found  no- 
where else  in  the  world.  Made  fun  and  told  stories 
about  France — was  free  and  easy  and  delightful.  After 
dinner  I  sang  'Danny  Deever'  and  'The  British  Soldier', 
which  Haraguchi  is  going  to  use  for  the  Japanese  army. 

"He  left  early  and  Sato  told  us  stories -the  young 
man  who  wanted  the  sword  that  he  might  disembowel  the 
Russians  and  not  have  to  bite  their  throats  in  the  hand- 
to-hand  fighting.  Then  the  story  of  the  samurai  boy 
who  must  once  in  his  life  face  death  make  up  his  mind 
that  he  is  to  die.  His  own  case,  at  the  age  of  twelve, 
coming  home  from  school,  to  find  his  great-uncle  and  his 
mother  all  serious,  a  naked  sword  on  a  little  wooden  rack, 
the  house  all  in  order;  to  be  told  that  he  had  disgraced 
the  family — he  had  dishonored  his  father's  sword  and 
killed  a  dog.  He  would  be  given  the  privilege  of  com- 
mitting hara-kiri,  for  he  was  a  samurai's  son.  His  great- 
uncle  gave  him  an  object  lesson,  showed  him  how  it  was 
done  and  told  him  to  proceed,  wrapping  the  blade  in 
paper,  that  it  might  not  cut  his  hand,  and  telling  him 
that  he  must  do  as  he  had  seen  his  great-uncle  do,  in 
earnest.  The  boy  begged  for  mercy.  His  kinsman  and 
his  mother  were  immovable.  Was  he  afraid  to  die? 
If  so,  they  might  help  him,  and  the  uncle  put  his  hand  on 
his  sword.  The  boy's  tears  stopped.  He  knew  his  time 
had  come  and  bowed.  He  opened  his  dress,  rubbed  his 
abdomen  three  times.  He  put  out  his  hand  and  grasped 
the  sword.  He  knew  no  more  till  a  cry  'Mate  (Stop)' 
brought  him  to  his  senses.  The  reprieve  at  last.  The 
knife  had  been  at  his  vitals.  An  instant  more  and  he 
would  have  been  dead  by  his  own  hand.  He  waited, 
dazed,  in  a  death  sweat.  His  courage  had  been  tested. 
He  had  faced  death.  This  is  what  the  Russians  are 
fighting." 

"  'It  is  too  terrible.'  The  Lieutenant  grasped  my  hand 
and  ushered  me  into  the  bare  room  I  knew  so  well.  His 
clean-cut  face,  the  face  of  the  samurai,  was  drawn  and 
tired.  All  night  the  wires  had  been  coming  in  from 
Manchuria.     Tales   of   the   bloodiest   fight     almost — in 


history.  'I  have  buried  l.TjOO,'  reports  Kuroki.  'There 
were  many  more.  I  estimate  the  total  casualties  as 
about  20,000.'  'We  have  buried  8,500  Ninth  Russians,' 
telegrai)h('d  Marshal  Oyama.  'The  casualties  will  ex- 
ceed 50,000.' 

"The  Imperial  Headquarters  are  in  a  great  stucco 
building,  with  staring  windows,  yawning  doors.  The 
hallways  are  wide  and  bare,  cold,  gloomy,  matting- 
floored.  The  entry  is  flanked  with  gray  benches,  where 
the  rickshaw  men  and  coolies  wait  gleaning  the  latest 
news  from  the  messengers  scurrying  by.  Three  old  men 
sit  at  a  low  desk,  their  bullet  heads  sparsely  grizzled  with 
stubbly  growth,  their  faces  seamed  with  years  and  toil 
and  worry.  They  were  muttering  and  cackling  to- 
day, their  blue-uniformed  shoulders  hunched  together. 
A  fringe  of  sandaled,  short-jacketed  little  boys  hung  about 
them,  drinking  in  each  word,  open-eyed,  grave  beyond 
their  years.  A  bell  would  ring,  a  small  boy  scamper  off. 
Oflicers  were  passing  to  and  fro.  There  were  no  signs  of 
elation  in  their  faces.  They  were  appalled,  staggered  by 
the  horror  of  the  news. 

"I  went  into  the  little  room  at  the  right  of  the  entry. 
The  typewriter  was  unhoused  and  the  Lieutenant,  the 
mimeographed  sheets  before  him,  translated  the  rows  of — 
to  me — meaningless  Chinese  characters — and  the  tale 
was  but  half  told.  Such  was  war.  No  wonder  that 
Tokyo  was  quiet  in  the  face  of  such  a  victory  jLiao-yangl 
— a  victory  that  had  cost  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
lives.     All  credit  to  the  Japanese  for  their  forbearance 


KOREAN    IN    STRAW    RAIN-COAT 


23 


and  consideration, 
tide  of  fortune." 


They  are  as  swept  along  by  the  flood- 


"It  was  the  Emperor's  birthday.  He  reviewed  his 
troops — twenty-six  thousand  men  more  than  had  ever 
been  massed  at  one  time  on  the  Aoyama  field.  Yet  this 
was  war-time.  Hundreds  of  thousands  had  gone  to 
Manchuria.  They  were  storming  Port  Arthur  at  this 
moment. 

"The  red-and-gilt  coach  of  state  rolled  on  the  field. 
The  Japanese  bowed  profoundly,  not  daring  to  raise  their 
eyes.  From  the  masses  of  troops  around  the  field  came  a 
psean    of  welcome,   a  fanfai-e  of  trumpets,  no  call,   no 


remained  absolutely  still,  leaning  forward  a  little,  watch- 
ing his  men.  He  was  clad  in  simple,  dark  blue  coat,  white 
trousers  and  high  boots,  a  plain  cap  with  a  red  band — 
the  general  field  uniform.  Behind  him  were  the  Crown 
Prince  on  the  right,  then  General  Katsura,  then  Prince 
Arisugawa,  then  Marshal  Yamagata.  There  was  a 
strangeness  about  it  all:  the  Emperor,  worshiped  by 
his  people  as  more  than  human,  a  descendant  of  the  gods, 
one  of  the  least-known  rulers  in  the  world,  surrounded  by 
a  wealth  of  oriental  tradition,  clad  in  a  western  uniform, 
reviewing  his  troops  in  the  open  air.  In  saluting  him,  the 
troops  whom  he  reviewed  turned  to  look  on  the  imperial 
face — an  act  which  forty  years  before  would  have  been 


-4. 


f^-lfc^-.^    ' 


DISCUSSING    THE    SIEGE    OF   PORT    ARTHUR 


rhythm,  a  shrill,  clear  volume  of  sound,  beating,  rising, 
falling,  grim  and  in  a  way  uncanny.  The  cortege  stopped 
in  front  of  the  imperial  pavilion  and  his  Majesty  alighted. 

"The  Emperor  mounted  a  coal-black  horse,  his  equerry 
walked  by  his  side,  watching  every  movement,  and  one 
accompanied  the  Crown  Prince  as  well,  though  his 
horsemanship  was  better  than  that  of  the  Emperor,  who 
headed  the  little  group  of  cavaliers  in  a  circling  ride 
around  the  field.  The  Body  Guard  Band,  sixty  strong, 
marched  forward.  They  were  playing  a  snappy  French 
march.  Then  the  long  line  of  men,  company  front,  their 
gaitered  legs  striking  out  in  their  peculiarly  Japanese 
way,  which  is  neither  the  German  goose-step  nor  yet  the 
French  stride.  The  Captain  raised  his  sword  as  he  passed 
in  front  of  the  Emperor.  There  was  no  click  of  rifles 
coming  to  the  port.  The  troops  saluted  by  turning  their 
heads  sharply  toward  the  War  Lord,  and  then,  as  they  went 
beyond,  snapping  their  heads  back  again  eyes  to  the 
front. 

"The  Mikado  sat  immovable  on  his  black  steed. 
Before  the  last  gun  had  wheeled  into  position,  far  away 
on  the  other  side  of  the  field,  the  Lancers  were  rustling 
along,  guidons  fluttering  gaily.  Again  the  horses  were 
small,  furry  little  beasts.  The  little  men  who  rode  them 
seemed  ill  at  ease.  They  looked  as  if  they  might  fall  off 
at  any  moment. 

"As  the  seven  thousand  men  went  by,  the  Emperor  had 


punishable  with  death.  Yet  those  men  who  saluted  him 
were  ready  to  die  for  him;  for  to  them  he  was  a  heaven- 
born  ruler  still.  Even  the  crowd,  which  broke  out  into 
the  field  before  he  left,  and  cheered,  having  done  an  un- 
heard-of thing,  did  not  dare  to  look  upon  him  as  he 
passed. 

"The  Emperor  drove  away.  The  crowd  could  no 
longer  be  restrained.  They  rushed  forward,  and,  as  the 
Crown  Prince  stepped  into  his  carriage,  cheered  wildly 
-  Banzai!  It  was  a  gay  crowd.  There  were  rickshaw 
coolies  and  small  shopkeepers  in  many  colors,  bare- 
armed  craftsmen,  round-hatted  students,  bare-legged 
little  boys,  men  from  the  nearby  bakeshops  in  white 
aprons  and  gauze  shirts,  showing  the  muscles  of  their 
broad  chests.  They  raised  their  hands  to  heaven  and 
shouted  again  and  again.  Never  had  such  a  thing  been 
done  in  Japan  before.  The  oflScials  were  dumfounded. 
The  Crown  Prince  turned  and  looked  at  the  crowding 
faces  about  him.  That  was  all.  The  tumult  was  hushed. 
The  bare  heads  were  bowed.  Then  he  turned  again  and, 
as  he  passed  the  foreigners'  pavilion,  saluted. 

"There  was  real  war-worth  in  that  ill-drilled  battalion, 
in  the  jolty  battery,  in  the  awkward  squadron.  They 
had  left  the  fields  and  shops  only  a  few  months  before. 
They  were  not  the  barrack  veterans;  they  were  raw, 
perhaps;  but  they  had  a  brilliant  record  before  them,  and 
they   were   ready   to  live  up  to  tradition,  to  fight  for 


24 


WAITING  FOR  NEWS 
FROM     THE     FRONT 


their  Emperor,  who 
reviewed  them  thai 
day,  as  they  marched 
on  the  sunny  field,  to 
the  French  (julck- 
step." 

Straight's  personal- 
ity, backed  by  the 
letters  he  had  brought 
from  Peking,  had  won 
him  intimate  relation- 
ship with  the  leaders 
of  the  diplomatic 
circle  and  social  inter- 
course with  the  big 
men  of  Japan. 

"There  was  a  most 
distinguished  gather- 
ing at  the  Griscoms' 
[Lloyd  Griscom, 
American  minister] 
last  night,"  he  wrote. 
"Could  the  Russians 
have  bagged  that  large, 
white  frame  house  and  sent  it  kiting  to  the  heart  of  Siberia, 
there  would  have  been  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth  in 
the  Island  Empire.  Katsura,  the  premier,  Komura, 
minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  Yamamoto,  minister  of  the 
Navy,  Marquis  Ito,  Count  Inouye,  the  builders  of  empire, 
Chinda,  vice-minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  Ishii  and 
Mutsu  (the  latter  just  returned  from  Washington), 
Kurino  (who  had  been  minister  in  Petersburg  and  con- 
ducted all  the  ante-bellum  negotiations),  a  fine-looking 
dark  man,  keen  and  alert.  The  dinner  was  for  Stevens, 
the  newly  appointed  'Dictator  of  Korea',  Japanese 
nominee,  adviser  for  Foreign  Affairs  to  his  Majesty  the 
Emperor  of  the  Hermit  Kingdom.  There  was  Denison, 
the  power  behind  the  throne  in  Japan,  the  foreign 
adviser  and  the  brains  of  the  'Department  of  State', 
Ogawa  and  Nagasaki  and  others  less  prominent  in  the 
Japanese  world.  Here  was  the  Marchioness  Oyama,  a 
charming  woman,  her  face  beautiful,  the  wife  of  the 
Japanese  Commander-in-Chief,  talking,  chatting,  when 
her  heart  must  have  been  far  away  in  the  plains  of  Man- 
churia where  her  husband  was  leading  her  country's  war- 
sons  to  do  battle  for  the  Rising  Sun.  Several  other  Jap- 
anese ladies,  less  distinguished,  all  gathered  about  that 
sweetest  of  hostesses,  Mrs.  Griscom,  a  rare  lady,  eerie 
almost,  gay  as  a  girl. 

"Robinson  and  I  chatted  with  Marquis  Ito,  about 
cigarettes  mostly.  I  had  last  seen  him  in  Korea  at  Mile. 
Sontag's  and  the  great  reception.  This  affair  was 
different.  Later  we  found  him  absorbed  in  reading  the 
advertisements  in  the  Cosmopolitan.  Strange  pastime 
for  an  Elder  Statesman." 

"It 's  a  great  thing,  the  evening  session  around  the  table 
at  the  club.  One  is  not  privileged  every  day  to  drink 
one's  evening  cocktail  with  the  man  who  has  the  foreign 
relations  of  a  nation  in  his  hands.  That  certainly  is 
very  nearly  Denison's  position.  He  was  the  man  who 
did  all  the  ante-bellum  correspondence  and  he  is  the  man 
who  will  tell  the  Japanese  how  to  make  peace  when  the 
time  comes.     He  has  served  them  many  years  well." 


"Then  it  was  Marchioness  Oyama.  On  Sunday  after- 
noon I  went  to  call  by  appointment.  Two  nights  before, 
at  the  Wilsons',  I  had  met  her  and  in  talking  had  dis- 
covered that  she  it  was  who  had  known  and  been  a 
fricnri  of  my  mother,  and  that  it  had  been  in  the  clothes 
of  her  children  that  the  pictures  of  my  sister  and  myself 
had  been  taken.  It  was  at  this  same  dinner  that  she 
had  told  the  story  of  her  imprisonment  as  a  little  girl  in 
the  castle  of  Ise,  when  she  had  to  make  cartridges  for  the 
men  on  the  rami)art,  when  the  women  had  to  put  out  the 
fires  kindled  by  the  besiegers'  fire,  and  when  they  all 
went  about  carrying  knives  that  they  might  kill  them- 
selves should  the  place  be  taken  by  a.ssault.  Here  it  was 
that  they  were  besieged  for  thirty  days,  and,  when  they 
finally  surrendered,  the  whole  countryside  was  cleared  of 
the  farmers  and  all  were  sent  north  transplanted  root  and 
branch  and  Marshal  Oyama  had  been  among  the  be- 
siegers and,  wounded,  had  been  forced  to  return  to  Tokyo." 

The  time  for  peace  was  approaching. 

"On  the  morning  of  January  2,  1905,"  wrote  Straight  in 
Tokyo,  on  the  fall  of  Port  Arthur,  "came  the  news  of 
Stoessel's  offer  to  discuss  terms.  Egan  had  gone  to  the 
General  Staff.  I  was  finishing  a  late  breakfast  when  the 
call  came  for  me  to  tear  off  to  the  telegraph  office  to 
deposit  enough  money  to  carry. 

"As  I  hurried  through  the  streets  the  gogai  men  were 
just  rushing  out  with  their  freshly  printed  extras,  shout- 
ing as  I  had  never  heard  them  shout  before.  Shop- 
keepers, householders  were  dashing  out  into  the  road- 
way to  seize  a  sheet,  then  go  mad  with  joy.  Students, 
soldiers,  rickshaw  men,  passing  ofllcials  in  their 
holiday  raiment  peered  over  each  other's  shoulders, 
raised  their  hands  to  heaven, 
screaming  with  joy.  The 
foolish  Japanese  bands  were 
soon  braying  through  the 
city;  processions  were  form- 
ing everywhere,  waving 
flags,  shouting  'Banzai'. 
From  that  time  to  this  there 
has  been  no  rest.  All  day 
and  night  the  people  are 
marching  the  streets — 
schools,  merchants,  guilds, 
the  'Nihombashi  Fishmon- 
gers', the  'Shiba  Dyers'  all 
in  their  best  clothing, 
strangely  capped  with  white 
sailor  hats  or  red-and-blue 
jockey  arrangements,  pa- 
rading here  and  there.  At 
night  Hibiya  Park  is  ablaze 
with  lights.  It  seems  al- 
most as  if  the  first  two  or 
three  days'  celebrations 
were  only  by  way  of  prac- 
tice, as  if  the  people  didn't 
realize  fully  that  the  enemy 
had  been  delivered  into  their 
hands.  Now  the  organized 
merrymaking  has  com- 
menced. For  ten  years  they 
have  waited  and  they  have 
a  right  to  their  triumph." 


SIR    ER.VEST   SATOW 


25 


But  the  Japanese  Foreign  Office  raised  "a  frightful 
stew"  about  a  cable  the  Associated  Press  sent  out  that 
America,  France,  England  were  being  talked  of  as  pos- 
sible direct  or  indirect  peace  intermediaries.  They  sent 
for  the  Associated  Press  man.  How  did  he  feel  warranted 
in  saj-ing  that  Japan  was  prepared  to  make  terms  charac- 
terized as  reasonable?  The  war  party  in  Russia  would 
appreciate  such  a  telegram  as  evidence  of  Japanese 
weakness.  Accordingly,  another  telegram  was  sent  out, 
quoting  "a  certain  Japanese  official"  as  denying  the 
report.  That  seemed  to  satisfy  the  Foreign  Office.  Of 
course,  Theodore  Roosevelt's  letters  prove  that  the  As- 
sociated Press  was  perfectly  correct  in  its  first  despatch 
and  ahead  of  the  crowd  on  the  news,  and  the  Associated 
Press  men  were  aware  of  the  fact. 

"It  seems  to  me  in  the  street,"  Straight  wrote,  "that, 
should  it  come  to  a  pinch,  Baron  Komura  and  his  fellows 
might  be  quite  prepared  to  shake  hands  behind  some  one's 
broad  protecting  back." 

The  war  was  by  no  means  over. 

"I  am  enjo>4ng  Tokyo,"  wrote  Straight.  "But  it  is 
not  War  and  that  is  what  I  started  out  'for  to  see'.  If 
the  army  goes  to  Vladivostok,  I  am  hoping  to  form  part  of 
that  expedition." 

After  several  weeks  in  charge  of  the  Associated  Press 
office  in  Egan's  absence.  Straight  got  away  to  Newchwang 
to  go  up  to  the  front. 

"Far  away  to  the  north  the  armies  are  waiting  to  spring 
at  one  another's  throats;  Kuropatkin  and  Oyama  bide 
their  time.  Even  now,  while  we  are  riding  at  anchor,  there 
may  be  a  great  battle  on,  in  or  near  the  old  Manchu  city." 

Word  had  been  sent  on  ahead  from  the  Tokyo  govern- 
ment. The  powerful  Baron  Komura  himself  had  written 
to  the  Japanese  Consul,  Segawa,  to  say  that  the  young 
American,  Willard  Straight,  was  to  have  courteous  at- 
tention and  all  possible  aid.  It  was  this  impressive 
backing,  in  addition  to  the  prestige  of  the  two  great 
news-gathering  agencies  he  represented,  that  passed  him 
through  to  the  headquarters  of  Marshal  Oyama  and 
General  Kuroki. 

"Marshal  Oyama  entered  the  room,  not  with  the  sharp 
quick-step,  but  with  a  little  shuffle,"  wrote  Straight  of 
their  meeting.  "'I  have  heard  from  Mr.  Griscom  and 
Sir  Claude  about  you,'  he  said.  'They  asked  me  to  do  all 
I  could  and  I  promised  to  do  so.'  I  told  him  that  his 
hospitality  was  all  that  could  be  desired  more.  His 
throat  was  bandaged.  It  was  from  the  trip  to  the 
Tombs,  made  the  day  before.  It  was  nothing,  he  said, 
but  he  could  not  smoke  for  the  moment,  that  was  all. 
He  was  clad  in  a  general's  simple  blue  uniform,  with 
a  line  of  places  for  orders  on  his  breast,  and  his  field  mar- 
shal's badge  as  his  only  decoration.  If  one  did  not  know 
who  and  what  he  was,  one  would  never  imagine  that  this 
simple,  friendly  old  gentleman  was  the  commander  of 
4.50,000  of  his  countrymen.  So  kindly,  so  absolutely 
unassuming!  He  did  not  have  much  to  say  seemed 
pleased  when  I  asked  him  when  he  would  move  his  head- 
quarters to  Harbin,  but  did  not  answer.  He  had  been 
sixteen  years  minister  of  war.  He  was  a  soldier,  not  a 
politician.  It  was  his  first  visit  to  Mukden  a  conqueror, 
not  a  visitor  merely.  He  would  let  me  come  in  to  make 
a  quick  sketch  at  any  time,  as  soon  as  he  was  better. 
He  had   come  alone  to  a  Chinese  palace,  to  welcome  a 


humble  stranger.  The  courts  were  bare,  only  an  oc- 
casional soldier  stirring  here  and  there,  no  dashing  in  of 
orderlies,  no  clanking  of  generals'  spurs  and  boots." 

Straight  found  General  Kuroki,  the  victor  of  the  Yalu, 
equally  simple. 

"He  was  very  kindly.  There  was  little  said.  He 
puffed  tentatively  at  a  cigarette,  laughed  a  great  deal, 
smiled.  Later,  General  Fujii,  the  chief  of  Staff,  came  in. 
He  was  much  jollier,  but  had  little  to  say.  The  General 
did,  however,  give  me  permission  to  come  in  and  sketch 
him  at  any  time.  He  wore  the  simple  black  field  uniform 
of  the  general  and  a  pair  of  heavy  felt,  fur-edged  Chinese 
slippers.  On  one  side  of  his  room  was  a  rough  steel  bed. 
An  overcoat  hung  on  the  brown  wall,  two  or  three  pairs  of 
boots  near  by.  Kuroki  had  just  received  two  old  Polish 
coins  from  a  clothing  merchant  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  who  asked 
in  return  some  small  souvenir,  even  a  bit  of  a  Russian 
uniform.  Kuroki  said  that  he  was  going  to  Poland  as 
soon  as  the  war  was  over — so  many  letters  had  he  re- 
ceived from  beautiful  Polish  ladies.  His  eyes  were  his 
most  striking  feature,  liquid  brown,  sparkling,  the  whites 
of  a  yellowing  brown,  always  smiling  and  laughing  in  a 
friendly  way.  With  his  knife  he  showed  how  the  First, 
Third  and  Fourth  armies  had  come  together  at  Tiehling. 
The  General  proposed  my  health  in  an  aluminum  cup  of 
Russian  champagne.  Later,  I  had  a  chance  to  sketch  the 
old  gentleman,  who  wanted  hair  on  the  bald  spots  and 
a  black  moustache  put  in  the  picture.  He  has  a  fine  grim 
mouth,  prominent  cheek  bones,  a  hard  bullet  head. 

"Today  I  finished  the  sketch  of  General  Kuroki.  I 
rose  to  go  but  the  General  asked  me  to  stop  and  talk  a  bit. 
He  said  that  in  many  respects  this  campaign  had  been 
harder  than  his  other  fights,  more  of  it  and  longer  drawn 
out.  He  thought  that  the  Russians  had  been  learning  a 
great  deal— that  they  fought  much  better  at  Mukden 
than  they  had  ever  done  on  the  Yalu.  But  he  thought 
that  they  were  discouraged  and  disheartened.  Many 
deserters  had  come  in.  They  were  tired  of  war.  The 
trouble  with  them  always  had  been  that  their  officers 
were  the  first  to  run  away.  How  could  the  men  be 
expected  to  fight?  Maybe  Harbin  next.  He  asked 
about  Togo  and  the  Manchu  Maru  and  how  she  was  fitted 
up  and  said  that  he  wanted  to  return  to  Japan  in  her 
much  more  than  in  a  battle-ship.  He  would  like  to  be  com- 
fortable, but  he  really  preferred  war  to  peace,  Manchuria 
to  Tokyo,  for  it  was  his  business,  his  profession,  soldiering. 

"I  picture  in  my  mind  the  little  tent  in  the  hills  where 
he  sits  for  hours  and  hours,  looking  over  the  hills  and 
valleys,  doing  nothing  but  smoke  and  think  and  dream! 

"Only  a  little  while  and  General  Kuroki  and  General 
Fujii  were  having  him  in  constantly  as  a  guest  at  their 
mess,"  wrote  Collins  of  Straight.  "Incidentally,  his  pres- 
ence was  a  tonic  and  delight  to  the  only  correspondents 
then  left  with  the  army-  somewhat  in  the  position  of 
prisoners  of  state     Frederick  Palmer  and  myself." 

Straight  remained  with  the  Japanese  Army  going  up 
to  the  front  with  General  Pershing,  who  was  there  for  the 
United  States  Army  until  President  Roosevelt's  proposal 
put  an  end  to  hostilities.  Then  he  went  back  to  Tokyo, 
closed  his  connections  with  the  Associated  Press  and 
Reuter's,  and  was  appointed  private  secretary  to  the 
new  American  Minister  to  Korea,  Edwin  V.  Morgan, 
under  the  title  of  vice-consul. 


26 


Chapter  IV 

AT  THE  LEGATION  IN  KOREA 


WHEN  Edwin  V.  Morgan  went  to  Seoul  as  Min- 
ister to  Korea  after  the  close  of  the  Russo-Japa- 
nese War,  in  1905,  Willard  Straight  was  appointed 
his  secretary,  under  the  official  title  of  vice-consul-gen- 
eral. Already,  when  stationed  there  for  Reuter's  and 
the  Associated  Press  during  the  war,  he  had  had  the 
chance  to  witness  the  inner  workings  of  one  of  the  most 
futile,  corrupt,  and  withal  the  most  comical  governments 
that  the  world  has  ever  known.  His  position  of  secre- 
tary to  the  American  Minister  gave  him  now  a  yet  more 
intimate  view. 

He  was  torn  between  the  impulse  to  mourn  for  Korea 
and  the  impulse  to  laugh  at  it.  The  suicide  of  the  learned 
and  patriotic  Min  Yong  Whan  upon  the  surrender  to 
Japan  could  but  evoke  compassion  for  both  this  honored 
old  man  and  his  betrayed  fatherland.  But  the  Emperor, 
compelling  his  ministers  to  sign  the  surrender  and  then 
denying  all  responsibility  for  it,  trembling  with  fright 
while  he  hid  in  a  rear  apartment  with  his  favorite  mis- 
tress— here  indeed  was  a  fit  subject  for  mockery. 

First  of  all  official  ceremonies,  upon  the  arrival  of  the 
new  Minister,  was  the  audience  with  the  Emperor. 
Straight  has  left  an  account  of  it  in  his  diary. 

"I  had  been  unpacking,  so  that  I  left  for  the  hotel  to 
dress  about  half  an  hour  before  we  were  due  at  the  palace. 
My  'boy'  had  been  ill  and  was  not  about.  In  conse- 
quence, I  had  to  start  all  the  Korean  servants  on  a  still  hunt 
through  my  trunks  to  find  white  neckties  and  gloves  and 
the  rest  of  the  paraphernalia.  The  result  was  that  I  was 
clothed  but  not  dressed,  and  arrived  at  the  Legation  just 
as  the  procession  was  getting  under  way.  That  of 
course  was  very  bad  form.  There  was  a  Korean  palace 
official  in  his  gold  clothes  walking  beside  the  Minister's 
chair,  the  buglers  were  tooting,  and  all  was  most  impres- 
sive while  I,  my  tall  hat  over  one  eye,  my  necktie  around 
itty  ears  and  my  coat  on  any  old  way,  rushed  by  in  a 
rickshaw. 

"That  upset  things  a  little,  for  the  palace  is  just  ne.xt 
door.  Luckily  I  found  my  chair  and,  by  making  the 
coolies  run — a  most  undignified  thing  for  the  rising  young 
diplomat — I  was  able  to  bring  up  a  very  bad  last.  With 
my  face  dripping,  I  bowed  my  way  in  at  the  Palace  past 
the  Lord  High  Chamberlain  and  all  the  generals  of  the 


Korean  army.     As  it  is  mostly  generals,  there  were  a 
good  many. 

"Dixey  [Arthur  Sturgis  Dixey,  student  interpreter, 
much  admired  by  Straight]  was  the  greatest  thing  you 
ever  saw.  He  was  clad  in  the  white  coat  and  heaven- 
blue  breeks  of  the  Boston  Cadets.  You  might  think  that 
he  was  a  lieutenant-colonel.  But  he's  only  a  high  private. 
Of  course,  though,  he  had  a  sword.  That  was  borrowed 
from  the  British  Legation.  There  had  been  a  major  of 
a  Scotch  regiment  here,  who  had  luckily  left  one  of  his 
weapons  behind.  Paddock  [United  States  consul-gen- 
eral 1  and  I  were  in  evening  dress.  The  Koreans  were 
much  impressed  by  the  fine  turnout  and  the  Baby  Prince, 
the  'Omelet',  as  he  is  called,  being  the  son  of  Lady  Om, 
the  Number  One  Concubine,  could  not  take  his  eyes  off 
the  brilliant  Dixey,  and  the  Marine  officer  was  jealous. 

"After  much  to-do  we  were  ushered  into  the  Imperial 
Presence.  The  Emperor,  the  Crown  Prince  and  the 
Chief  Eunuch  had  draped  themselves  tastefully  around 
a  table  at  one  side  of  the  room.  The  Emperor  (on  ac- 
count of  the  death  of  the  Crown  Princess)  had  on  the 
mourning  dress  of  grass-cloth  and  was  capped  by  one  of 
the  little  winged  things  that  you  see  in  old  Chinese  pic- 
tures of  Ming  court  scenes.  He  seemed  very  much 
interested  in  everything,  particularly  in  Dixey's  uniform. 
Mr.  Morgan  gave  him  an  autograph  letter  from  the 
President,  which  I  had  been  holding  with  both  hands — 
all  swaddled  in  imperial  yellow  silk.  Out  in  the  hall  the 
eunuchs  were  holding  the  Baby  Prince  on  their  shoulders 
so  that  he  could  see  what  his  father  and  the  foreigners 
were  doing.  We  could  hear  him  asking  questions  in  a 
heavy  stage  whisper. 

"The  Minister's  interpreter,  in  blue  and  gold  and 
pigeon's-egg  trimmings,  stood  by  with  head  lowered. 
At  all  the  nice  parts  of  the  Minister's  speech  about  the 
ties  that  bound  the  two  nations  and  our  great  interest 
in  His  Majesty's  health,  the  Emperor  smiled  all  around. 
He  replied  in  a  few  hackneyed  words  and  asked  us  each 
a  question  in  turn.  Then  we  bowed  ourselves  out.  That 
was  all,  except  the  sweet  champagne  after  we  went  into 
the  ante-chamber.  Never  was  place  better  named  than 
that  ante-chamber;  for  it  is  there  that  all  the  Japanese 
demands  are  presented  and  the  poor  Korean  monarch 


27 


^t*^- 


t} 


) 


has  to  'fork  out'  a  good  deal  of  his  hard-squeezed  wealth. 
"The  palace  is  right  next  door  to  the  Legation,  and  so, 
when  we  reached  our  own  yard,  we  could  see  the  Em- 
peror on  his  side  porch,  rubbering  over  to  see  how  we  got 
out  of  our  chairs.  Of  course  we  paid  no  attention. 
Later  the  Baby  Prince  was  held  up  again  by  the  eunuchs 
and  he  too  had  a  look  at  how  we  paid 
off  the  guard  of  honor,  ten  dollars  per." 
From  the  friends  that  he  made 
among  the  old  residents  of  Seoul, 
Straight  learned  much  of  the  recent 
history  of  the  country.  For  a  long 
time  Korea  had  been,  as  he  described 
it,  a  pawn  on  the  Far  Eastern  chess- 
board. In  Korea  was  to  be  found  the 
e.xtreme  case  of  foreign  exploitation. 
An  offshoot  of  China,  it  had  become  an 
independent  kingdom  only  to  be 
turned  into  a  battleground  for  the  con- 
tending interests  of  Russia  and  Japan. 
A  corrupt  and  degenerate  court  made 
the  country  an  easy  victim  for  the  out- 
sider with  the  deepest  craft  and  the 
longest  purse.  For  Russia  it  was  like 
a  great  finger  reaching  out  for  the  com- 
mercial and  political  domination  of  the 
Pacific.  To  Japan,  it  was  valuable 
for  both  defensive  and  offensive  rea- 
sons. If  Russia  became  master,  Korea 
would  be  a  continual  threat.  But  if 
Japan  herself  could  take  command, 
Korea  would  become,  not  only  a  field 
for  Japanese  trade  and  a  colony  for 
settlement  by  an  overflowing  popula- 
tion, but  also  a  priceless  base  of  opera- 
tions against  Russia  in  Manchuria. 
At  the  outset  of  her  war  with  Russia, 
Japan,  with  overpowering  force,  took 
possession  of  the  country. 

Straight's  principal  source  of  infor- 
mation as  to  what  had  been  passing  in 
Korea  for  a  score  of  years  was  Mc- 
Leavy  Brown  (since  become  Sir  John 
McLeavy  Brown),  then  chief  of  Korean 
customs.  He  was  the  protector  of  the 
nation's  finances,  occupying  a  position 
similar  to  that  of  Sir  Robert  Hart  in 
China.  A  genial  gentleman,  a  trifle 
cynical,  he  knew  Japanese  and  Korean 
character  in  all  their  twists  and  turns, 
and  did  not  hesitate  to  give  his  opinion 
of  either,  gained  from  his  pivotal  position  in  the  customs. 

"Brown  had  the  key  to  the  Treasury,"  wrote  Straight 
after  a  dinner  at  which  the  veteran  customs  official  had 
related  some  of  his  experiences  with  the  court,  "and 
whenever  the  Koreans  came  for  money,  he  refused  them 
unless  their  case  was  a  good  one.  Once  the  Russians, 
whose  policy  it  was  to  let  them  do  all  the  foolishness  they 
could  conceive  of  (and  that  was  a  good  deal),  told  them 
to  take  as  much  as  they  wanted  to.  This  pleased  the 
Koreans.  They  took  a  hundred  rickshaw  coolies  and 
went  away  laden  with  one  hundred  cases,  each  containing 
two  thousand  silver  yen. 

"This  money  was  taken  into  the  palace  and  there  the 
Emperor  howled  with  joy.     It  is  reported  that  he  danced 


l«l»^ 


•S" 


JAPANESE   SOLDIER   IN   KOREA 


with  pleasure  around  the  silver  boxes,  and  I  can  easily 
imagine  him,  with  the  eunuchs  standing  around  with 
their  tongues  hanging  out,  thinking  how  much  of  it  would 
eventually  find  its  way  into  their  clothes.  His  Majesty 
bestowed  a  large  fistful  on  the  principal  thief  and  more 
on  the  others;  then  all  the  servants  came  forward  with 
outstretched  hands,  begging  for  their 
share.  They  all  had  it  and,  when  they 
were  through,  no  one  knew  what  had 
become  of  the  money.  It  seems  that  a 
week  later  Mr.  Brown,  out  of  curiosity, 
asked  them  what  they  had  done  with 
it  and  they  answered  that  they  did  not 
know. 

"Then  there  is  the  story  of  a  Japa- 
nese company's  transactions  with  the 
government.  The  trouble  started 
when  the  Emperor  awoke  one  day  to 
the  fact  that  his  colleagues,  rulers  of 
the  East,  were  all  emperors  while  he  at 
that  time  was  only  a  king.  The  im- 
perial coronation  should  be  the  occa- 
sion for  much  merrymaking.  There 
should  be  foreign  fleets  and  foreign 
representatives. 

"So  it  was  arranged.  The  local  of- 
ficials, always  glad  for  a  new  chance  at 
graft,  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the 
celebration.  Certainly  they  were  the 
principal  beneficiaries,  after  the  Jap- 
anese. There  should  be  a  fleet.  Sev- 
enteen admirals  were  appointed.  For 
300,000  yen  they  purchased  an  old 
collier.  They  paid  200,000  yen  and 
claimed  that  the  company  owed  them 
the  balance  (for  a  ginseng  crop).  The 
company  refused  to  accept  these  terms. 
For  an  additional  100,000  yen  they  al- 
lowed the  Koreans  to  hoist  their  flag 
on  the  steamer  which  they  painted 
white  and  cleaned,  raising  her  value 
from  the  original  20,000  yen  to  about 
2.5,000. 

"When  war  broke  out,  the  Japanese 
seized  this  one  Korean  man-o'-war  and 
used  her  in  their  first  attempt  to  block 
the  entrance  to  Port  Arthur.  That 
showed  how  much  they  thought  the 
400,000-yen  ship  was  worth.  The 
company  still  claims  the  balance  of  the 
account  and  it  will  be  taken  from  the 
Koreans  sooner  or  later. 

"On  another  occaaion  the  Emperor  decided  that  he 
must  have  a  coach.  From  somewhere  in  Tonkin  or 
Japan  or  from  some  Shanghai  livery-stable  a  wonderful 
old  victoria  was  resurrected.  This  was  gilded  and  the 
wheels  painted  red  and  the  insides  thereof  upholstered 
in  yellow.  This  cost  the  Emperor  some  20,000  yen.  It 
was  really  a  very  handsome  affair  and  made  an  extraor- 
dinarily good  place  for  the  palace  coolies  to  sleep  when 
it  was  finally  stored  in  an  outhouse. 

"Of  course  fine  horses  had  to  be  piircliased  to  draw  the 
coach.  The  Master  of  the  Imperial  Stud  accumulated 
somewhere  a  collection  of  w'>  ii-out  barbs  and  some  artil- 
lery  horses   from    North    China.     They   stayed   in   the 


\ 


28 


?•'■ 


Royal  Stables  until  some 
months  later,  after  almost 
starving  to  death,  although  a 
liberal  sum  had  been  provided 
each  month  for  their  up-keep. 
They  were  finally  eaten,  one 
by  one,  by  the  stable-boys. 

"The  latest  gold  brick  seems 
to  be  the  acquisition  of  an  an- 
tiquated .Japanese  fountain, 
brought  from  some  small, 
rural  park  in  Japan  and  sold  to 
the  court  for  150,000  yen. 
This  is  supplied  from  a  water- 
works system  erected  by  the 
Japanese.  They  have  laid  a 
line  of  pipes  from  an  alleged 
spring  in  the  hills  and,  when 
they  want  the  fountain  to 
play,  they  send  coolies  into  the 
hills  to  pour  water  down  the 
upper     end.     There     are     no 

springs  in  the  vicinity  and  the  pipes  were  never  laid  more 
than  half  way  to  the  source  they  were  supposed  to  tap." 

The  Emperor  had  many  ways  of  squandering  money, 
but  the  one  he  liked  best  was  trying  to  get  back  political 
refugees  who  had  gone  to  hide  in  Japan.  He  wanted 
them  for  decapitation.  Almost  anybody  who  would 
come  to  him  with  a  new  scheme  for  bringing  back  the  of- 
fenders, would  get  a  full  purse  with  which  to  try  out  his 
plan.  In  the  palace  there  was  a  sort  of  household  treas- 
ury where  the  revenue  from  the  sale  of  ofiices  and  other 
evil  sources  was  kept,  and  this  was  used  for  all  manner  of 
strange  things,  according  to  the  whim  of  the  ruler. 

The  American  firm  of  CoUbran  and  Bostwick  repre- 
sented modern  enterprise  and  big  business  in  Korea. 
The  electric  railway  in  Seoul,  the  lighting,  the  telephones, 
were  only  a  part  of  their  miscellaneous  ventures. 

"Not  a  week  passes  but  the  Emperor  wants  something 
or  other,"  wrote  Straight.     "His  is  a  comic  opera  court 
at  best,  and  there  are  many  comic  opera  wants.     But  this 
wonderful  firm  finds  means  of  satisfying  every  whim. 
Sometimes  it  is  expensive.     On  the  Emperor's 
birthday   Collbran   and    Bostwick    presented 
to  him  a  splendid   diamond   with   their   best 
wishes.     His  Majesty  was  overjoyed,  but  his 
pleasure  was  short-lived,  for  the  Crown  Prince 
looked    upon    the    jewel    with   envious    eyes. 
Being  a  tender,  loving  parent,  the  Emperor 
gave  it  to  his  son.     As  usual  in  his  bereave- 
ment he  bethought   himself  of  his  business 
advisers,  and  sent  word  to  them.     'We  have 
presented  the  diamond  you  gave  us  to  our  son 
the  Crown  Prince.'     To  use  the  vernacular: 
'It  is  up  to  you.'     Needless  to  say  the  hint 
was  acted  upon  and  another  stone  was  pro- 
cured. 

"The  native  court's  idea  of  reform  is  well 
illustrated  by  the  pet  scheme  of  one  Min  Yong 
Whan,  late  Ambassador  to  the  Coronation  of 
the  Czar,  Minister  to  Washington  and  to  ■^■. 
Paris  and  the  Lord  knows  what  all  besides. 
After  close  study  of  Occidental  conditions  he 
decided  that  the  one  thing  necessary  to  eman- 
cipate  completely   his   benighted   land   from 


^.liiSlaSSZUlt^ 


\ 


i^ 


'i 


SIK   JOHN   McLEAVY   BROWN 


senseless  reverence  for  the 
past  would  be  to  import  a 
troupe  of  French  actresses  and 
start  a  Seoul  opera.  His  Maj- 
esty, influenced  by  his  trusted 
henchman,  had  appropriated 
100,000  yen  for  the  project. 

"A  Frenchman  was  engaged 
to  arrange  everything.  The 
Emperor  was  bent  upon  build- 
ing a  fine  palace  for  the  benefit 
of  the  ladies.  Then  someone 
made  away  with  the  100,000  yen 
and  the  scheme  fell  through. 
But  that  was  the  plan  sug- 
gested by  a  man  who  even 
to-day  is  considered  one  of  the 
leading  lights  in  the  political 
world." 

One    of    Brown's    reminis- 
cences, set  down  by  Straight, 
was    of    the    murder    of    the 
Queen,  a  decade  before  Straight  came  to  Seoul. 

"When  the  firing  commenced  early  in  the  morning,  the 
foreigners  immediately  went  to  the  Palace.  On  his  way 
to  the  gate  Brown  picked  up  the  War  Minister,  who,  clad 
in  his  red  armor,  was  evidently  well  aware  that  something 
was  up.  With  some  of  the  foreign  representatives  Brown 
went  back  to  the  King's  apartment  north  of  the  Lotus 
Pond.  They  asked  him  where  the  Queen  was.  He  did 
not  know.  She  was  even  then  burning  about  a  hundred 
feet  away.  When  the  Japanese  or  Koreans,  whoever  it 
was  that  committed  the  deed,  had  rushed  in,  the  Queen 
had  attempted  to  fly  into  another  room  but  had  been 
seized  by  the  Minister  for  Communications,  one  Chang 
Ha,  who  held  her  until  the  others  came  and  killed  her. 
Then  they  threw  the  body  out  of  the  window  and  burned 
it.  This  man  was  a  thief  among  thieves  but  had  been 
trusted  by  both  King  and  Queen. 

"Brown  told  me  that  it  was  estimated  that  the  Queen 
had  killed  or  had  had  put  to  death  some  nine  thousand 
people,  generally  on  the  suggestion  of  one  of  the  Palace 


4N\ 


5^ 


•^ 


/r^' 


WILLIAM  JENNINGS  BRYAN 


29 


WILLARD    STRAIGHT    AND    THE    LEGATION    STAFF    IN    THE   AMERICAN   COMPOUND,   SEOUL 


sorcerers  who  wished  to  get  hold  of  the  property  of  the 
person  impeached. 

"Five  months  after  the  Queen's  death,  fearing  a  like 
fate,  the  King  fled  to  the  Russian  Legation.  The  Crown 
Prince  and  King  both  climbed  into  chairs  and  were  car- 
ried off  with  the  palace  women  in  front  of  them,  at  seven 
in  the  morning.  At  the  Legation  the  King  and  the  Crown 
Prince  found  their  principal  pleasure  in  piling  wood  in 
the  big  Russian  stove.  Yi  Pen  Chim,  afterward  Minister 
to  Russia,  had  jumped  over  a  wall,  was  a  little  lame,  and 
was  walking  with  a  stick.  He  was  generally  full  of  the 
champagne  which  the  Russians  at  this  time  gave  free  to 
all  the  court.  He  made  such  a  nuisance  of  himself  around 
the  house  that  Mrs.  Weber,  to  get  rid  of  him,  finally  had 
him  appointed  Minister  to  Washington. 

"The  Ministries  were  all  at  this  time  in  the  large  draw- 
ing-room of  the  Legation.  A  sofa,  a  screen,  a  table  and  a 
couple  of  chairs  constituted  a  Ministry.  The  Minister 
of  War  alone  had  a  separate  office  in  the  garden,  where  he 
had  fixed  himself  in  a  sort  of  summerhouse,  and  there  he 
held  audience.  One  could  call  on  all  the  rest  of  the 
Cabinet  by  simply  going  into  the  one  large  chamber  and 
then  bobbing  about  from  screen  to  screen. 

"Immediately  the  King  was  installed  at  the  Legation, 
Lady  Om,  who  had  been  banished  by  the  Queen,  turned 
up  and  lived  in  his  bathroom." 

The  Lady  Om,  who  then  held  the  honor  of  being  the 
Emperor's  favorite,  was  accounted  the  most  powerful 
person  in  the  country.  She  had  been  ennobling  her 
family,  down  to  the  least  water  coolie,  by  putting  them 
in  as  governors  of  the  city  one  at  a  time  a  tenure  of 
three  or  four  days  for  each.  Her  ancestors  for  three 
generations  back  were  fitted  out  with  suitable  titles,  and 
every  little  while  there  was  a  celebration  at  the  tombs  of 


these  deceased  gentlemen,  with  much  burning  of  tissue 
paper  and  other  ceremonies  prescribed  for  such  occasions. 

One  of  the  functions  of  the  Minister's  secretary  was  to 
greet  distinguished  visitors  from  America.  It  was  the 
visit  of  Miss  Alice  Roosevelt  (Mrs.  Nicholas  Longworth) 
that  led  to  Straight's  friendship  in  later  years  with 
Theodore  Roosevelt.  He  records  vividly  the  enthusiasm 
with  which  the  Koreans  greeted  the  "American  Princess". 

"Miss  Roosevelt  is  coming  here  with  General  Corbin, 
Admiral  Train  and  the  Lord  knows  how  many  others. 
Seoul  —the  imperial  portion  of  it — is  simply  atingle. 
The  Emperor  is  going  to  do  great  stunts  here.  Imperial 
honors  only  for  this  party!  He  has  the  German  lady  who 
has  taken  Miss  Sontag's  place  reburnishing  the  palace  — 
that  is,  the  foreign  one.  She  is  laying  awful  carpets  made 
in  Germany.  In  this  palace  Admiral  Train  will  sleep  and 
the  Corbins  also.  Miss  Roosevelt  stays  in  the  Legation. 
If  it  rains  she'll  be  drowned;  for  the  place  leaks  badly. 

"Since  the  Emperor  is  making  a  great  play  for  American 
sympathy,  he  has  decided  to  let  Miss  Roosevelt  use  the 
Ship  of  State.  The  best  of  all  these  stories  in  connection 
with  Miss  Roosevelt's  visit  is  the  one  of  why  the  Japanese 
Prince  Fushimi  on  his  recent  visit  didn't  get  the  imperial 
coach.  When  he  was  expected,  the  Emperor  sent  word  to 
one  Tommy  Koen,  American,  ex-oiler  on  a  tramp  steamer, 
and  now  engineer  to  the  palace,  to  gum  the  game.  This 
Tommy  did.  He  stole  the  springs  from  the  gilded  coach 
of  slate  and  all  the  brass  nuts  from  the  other  imperial 
carriages.  Hasegawa,  commander  of  the  Japanese  forces 
in  Korea,  went  to  have  a  look.  Sure  enough,  the  carriage 
couldn't  be  used.  Where  had  all  these  things  gone? 
'Why,  damn  it.  General,  the  Koreans  stole  all  the  brass 
in  the  place.  You  know  what  thieves  they  are!'  The 
carriage-spring  meantime  was  in  Mr.  Koen's  forge,  being 


30 


nicely  burned  and  deprived  of  its  red-and-gold  paint. 
The  General  saw  that  that  too  was  hopeless;  so  he  took 
Fushimi  in  his  own  barouche. 

"Ne.xt,  Mr.  Koen,  being  an  American  and  a  sailor,  was 
appointed  imperial  equerry  and  master  of  horse,  and  was 
told  off  to  greet  the  Princess  at  the  station.  Koen,  hav- 
ing spent  his  life  on  the  bounding  wave,  knew  all  about 


houses  packed  with  people  silhouetted  against  the  eve- 
ning sky.  On  either  side  of  the  procession  ran  lantern- 
bearers,  swinging  their  strange  red-and-blue  silk  lights. 
"That  night  there  was  a  'scratch'  dinner  with  the  im- 
perial band,  and  afterward  we  went  to  the  palace,  where 
Miss  MacMillan,  Miss  Boardman,  Senator  Newlands, 
Longworth  and  Gillett  were  staying.     This  time  Miss 


ALICE    ROOSEVELT,    WHOM    THE    KOREANS    GREETED    AS    A    PRINCESS,    AND    HER    PARTY 


horses  or  anything  else  that  rocked.  He  went  to  the 
stables  and  found  a  pair  of  blacks.  There  were  only 
three  pair  left.  All  the  others  had  been  eaten  by  hungry 
stable-men. 

"Mr.  Koen  took  out  the  blacks  and  one  of  the  Number 
Two  imperial  coaches  and  paraded  through  the  city,  fol- 
lowed by  buglers.  He  wanted  to  get  the  horses  into 
shape  for  Miss  Roosevelt's  arrival.  There  were  beautiful 
red  uniforms  and  liveries.  Three  or  four  men  who  had 
been  to  Shanghai  or  somewhere  and  who  thought  they 
knew  something  about  driving  were  selected.  But, 
when  they  tried  on  the  imiforms,  it  was  'no  go'  and  so 
other  coachmen  and  footmen  whom  the  liveries  would  fit 
had  to  be  found. 

"The  scheme  was  to  have  a  squad  of  Korean  cavalry 
escort  Miss  Roosevelt.  The  Korean  army  was  to  be 
lined  up  along  the  route  and  fire  salutes.  But  Paddock 
stopped  that,  for  the  Korean  cavalry  can  only  stick  on  by 
hanging  to  the  pommels  of  their  saddles  and,  at  any 
function,  are  always  sure  to  fall  off,  while  their  ponies 
invariably  run  away.  Thus  are  we  deprived  of  the  spe- 
cial circus  parade.  It's  really  a  shame;  for  it  would 
have  been  the  greatest  thing  of  its  kind  that  the  Emperor 
of  Korea  ever  perpetrated." 


"Upon  Miss  Roosevelt's  arrival  in  Seoul,  the  streets 
were  packed.  The  band  struck  up  the  'Star-Spangled 
Banner'  and  the  Korean  officials  in  their  gladdest  frock 
coats  were  presented.  Some  of  Hasegawa's  stafT  were 
there,  but  they  were  left  out  in  the  presentation,  and 
Miss  Roosevelt  piled  into  an  imperial  yellow  chair.  It 
was  just  dark.     The  air  was  murky  and  the  roofs  of  the 


Roosevelt  led  them  a  merry  chase.  She  walked  as  fast 
as  she  could,  and  it  was  a  pretty  good  gait,  with  lanterns 
bobbing  and  the  bugles  tooting  and  policemen  trotting 
beside  her,  the  troops  at  attention.  They  were  surprised, 
I'll  warrant,  but  not  a  whit  embarrassed.  The  monarch 
himself  escorted  Miss  Roosevelt  into  the  room  on  his 
arm,  ogling  her  and  rather  ill  at  ease.  The  Crown  Prince 
blinked.  Korean  officials,  who,  by  special  order  of  the 
Emperor,  had  many  of  them  got  themselves  into  Euro- 
pean clothes  for  the  first  time,  certainly  did  look,  and, 
from  their  appearance,  felt,  like  hell. 

"It  was  strange  and  wonderful  to  see  Miss  Roosevelt 
on  the  Emperor's  arm,  or,  rather,  him  on  hers,  as  they 
came  into  the  banqueting  hall,  which  looked  more  like 
a  boarding-house  parlor  than  anything  else.  We  had  a 
Korean  chow  and  the  Senator  burned  his  face  by  leaving 
his  spoon  too  near  the  charcoal  heart  of  the  soup-plate. 

"The  Roosevelt  party  came,  saw  and  conquered. 
There  were  tiffins  at  the  East  Palace.  Miss  Roosevelt 
had  luncheon  with  the  palace  ladies-  again  an  innova- 
tion— and  then  one  night  the  Korean  Military  Band 
came  in.  They  made  the  weirdest  and  most  awesome 
noise  I  ever  heard,  shrieks  and  the  tumming  of  tomtoms, 
the  shrill  notes  of  the  flute  and  the  rolling  of  a  bass  horn. 
Then  in  the  courtyard,  the  gesarig,  the  Korean  dancing- 
girls,  did  their  stunts,  the  warrior  dance,  etc.,  etc. 

"Of  course  the  most  interesting  phase  of  the  \-isit  was 
the  part  the  Japanese  tried  to  play  therein.  In  the  first 
place,  they  attempted  to  put  every  obstacle  in  the  way 
of  Miss  Roosevelt's  having  the  imperial  car.  This  be- 
longed to  the  Emperor  and  they  refused  at  first  to  let 
her  have  it.  Then  they  asserted  that  Miss  Roosevelt 
was  not  royalty,  to  which  the  Koreans  replied  that  Mar- 


31 


quis  Ito  wasn't  either.  In  Chemulpo  the  Japanese  consul 
tried  to  ruin  the  welcome.  He  boarded  the  Ohio,  which 
brought  Miss  Roosevelt,  before  Morgan,  who  had  crossed 
on  the  Alava,  had  had  time  to  get  over  to  her.  Then  he 
tried  to  butt  in  and  bring  the  party  ashore,  though  the 
Koreans,  who  were  the  real  hosts,  had  furnished  their 
Customs  launch  for  the  purpose. 

"I  don't  think  that  the  Japanese  imagined  that  we 
were  making  any  political  play.  I  am  more  inclined  to 
think  that  they  were  principally  afraid  of  the  effect  that 
the  \nsit  would  have  on  the  Koreans.  These  people  are 
looking  for  straws  just  now,  and  the  Roosevelt  trip  looked 
like  a  life-preserver  to  their  jaundiced  imaginations. 
This  the  Japanese  tried  to  get  around  by  appearing  to 
be  doing  the  entertaining  themselves.  Naturally  they 
couldn't  work  any  con  game  of  that  sort,  but  their  actions 
were  such  that  any  feelings  that  I  may  have  had  before 
are  much  more  so.  The  littleness  of  it  all — not  feeling 
strong  enough  even  to  let  this  poor  people,  whom,  as 
Baron  Kaneko  says,  they  are  going  to  regard  and  treat 
as  an  inferior  race,  have  their  own  little  party!  They 
were  not  content  to  stand  by  and  laugh  at  the  footless 


COLLIER   COOLIES   AT   CHEMULPO 

things  these  poor  devils  were  inclined  to  do,  but  had  to 
force  themselves  in  everywhere  and  at  all  times." 

The  actions  of  the  Koreans  and  Japanese  so  appealed 
to  Straight's  sense  of  humor  that  he  could  not  resist 
composing  some  doggerel,  which  he  confided  to  his  diary. 

TO   MISS   ROOSEVELT 

When  Alice  ramc  lo  Pliinderland, 

The  Crown  Prince  yoiiuhl  her  lily  hand. 

The  Emperor  had  a  pipe 

Dreiim  that  Ihix  wuh  where  hix  nalive  liiv 

Could  xhakc  the  J ap.f  forever  and 

Secure  a  friendship  ripe 

With  father. 

liul  now  there's  troul)le  brewing,  for 
The  Emperor  doth  reij/n  no  more, 
The  .ffipanene  arc  out  for  wealth. 
They're  not  in  Imsinem  for  their  health 


The  Koreans  wail,  "What  can  we  do? 
Our  clothes  is  picked,  our  ivatches  too, 
Our  country's  in  receivers'  tiands. 
We've  neither  graft  nor  fees. 
Since  Alice  came  lo  Plunderland 
We've  nothing  left  to  'squeeze'. " 

On  the  very  eve  of  the  doings  at  the  Palace,  William 
J.  Bryan  came  in.  And  so  the  great  exponent  of  de- 
mocracy was  on  hand  to  witness  a  display  of  autocratic 
force  that  would  have  shocked  the  Middle  Ages.  An 
American  who  then  chanced  to  be  official  adviser  of  the 
Japanese  Government  stuck  even  more  close  to  Mr. 
Bryan  than  did  Straight,  for  it  was  his  function  to  ward 
off  from  the  Commoner  information  of  a  sort  that  might 
leave  a  bad  impression  of  the  new  masters  of  the  land. 

In  Seoul,  Mr.  Bryan's  personality  made  him  many 
friends.  He  maintained  the  same  informality  of  dress 
and  manner  that  marked  him  at  home.  At  dinner  in  the 
hotel  he  put  on  a  golf-cap  to  keep  his  scalp  warm.  When 
Straight  called  on  him  "he  came  down  in  a  wonderful 
black  alpaca  cap,  with  a  netting  visor  rolled  up  at  the 
sides."  But  when  he  went  to  the  Legation  he  had  on 
the  conventional  top  hat,  and  he  wore  a  swallow-tail 

coat  at  the  Emperor's  audi- 
ence. He  said  that  he  had 
been  told  that  "when  he  was 
abroad,  he'd  have  to  wear 
knee  breeches.  But  he  hadn't 
brought  his  and  thought  it  was 
all  nonsense  about  people  who 
called  on  a  king  having  to  wear 
knee  breeches.  Might  as  well 
force  an  Englishman  to  call  at 
the  White  House  in  wampum 
and  feathers." 

"He  told  with  full  apprecia- 
tion of  its  humor  how  he  had 
come  up  in  the  train  with  Togo, 
who  was  on  his  way  to  his 
own  great  reception,"  relates 
Straight.  "While  the  proces- 
sion was  forming  Bryan's  rick- 
shaw man  had  insisted  that  he 
form  a  part  of  it,  and  to  all  his 
objections  responded  merely  by 
putting  him  one  place  higher 
up.  A  final  and  desperate 
effort  brought  him  to  the  head 
of  the  line,  and  then  he  went 
on  for  three  miles — the  only 
through  crowds  jammed  on  either  side,  the 
men  doffing  their  hats  and  the  students  cheering  him, 
stealing  Togo's  triumph  and  beating  him  to  his  reception 
place  by  fifteen  minutes." 

But  American  travelers  were  not  the  only  distinguished 
foreign  guests  received  in  audience  by  the  Empire  in  the 
fall  of  1905.  Early  in  November  Marquis  Ito  had  ar- 
rived as  special  envoy  from  the  Emperor  of  Japan  and 
had  presented  a  series  of  demands  in  treaty  form.  Japan 
had  already  practically  taken  over  Korea.  Marquis  Ito 
was  now  to  add  the  finishing  touch.  On  the  afternoon 
of  November  17  Straight  could  sec  from  his  window  at 
the  Legation  the  palace  compound  filling  with  Japanese 
soldiery  and  police;  the  entrance  and  exit  of  nervous 
statesmen,  some  in  Korean  garb,  some  in  frock  coats; 
now  and   then  even   white-faced  and   shrinking  royalty 


,>>-i 


one  in  sight 


32 


i''    y^: 


t< 


itself,  in  the  person  of  either  Emperor  or  Crown  Prince, 
as  it  pushed  a  curtain  aside  to  peep  out.  Thus  was  the 
scene  laid  for  the  drama  to  be  enacted  a  few  hours  later, 
the  signing  of  the  "treaty"  under  which  Korea  was  to 
acknowledge  itself  a  vassal  of  Japan. 

The  recollection  of  the  murder  of  the  Queen  a  decade 
before,  under  very  similar  circumstances,  reduced  the 
Emperor  to  a  palsy  of  fright.  He 
had  installed  himself  behind  locked 
doors  with  the  Lady  Om  and  there  he 
stayed.  The  nation  outside — that  is, 
the  articulate  fraction  of  the  nation 
— was  aware  of  what  was  on  foot  and 
was  clamoring  against  the  surrender. 
The  Emperor  quaked  with  fear  of  his 
people's  wrath  but  he  quaked  still 
more  with  fear  of  the  wrath  of  the 
Japanese.  The  people  were  distant 
and  unorganized;  the  Japanese  were 
present  with  ugly  guns  and  pistols, 
even  cannon,  and  with  a  meaning 
smile  that  emphasized  rather  than 
softened  the  threat.  What  was  a 
poor  man  to  do?  He  summoned  his 
ministers — and  sent  them  away 
again.  No,  he  would  not  betray  his 
beloved  country.  Yes,  yes,  he  would 
sign — not  sign  himself,  of  course,  but 
have  his  ministers  sign-  if  these  un- 
bidden guests  in  the  yard  outside 
would  only  go  away  with  their  guns 
and  pistols. 

The  suave  and  astute  Marquis  Ito 
had  assured  his  Imperial  Majesty  of 
Korea  of  Japan's  undying  friendship 
if  only  Korea  would  affix  its  signature 
on  the  dotted  line.  That  simple  act 
was  all  that  was  necessary.  General 
Hasegawa  and  the  Japanese  Minis- 
ter, Hayashi,  seconded  him  with  cor- 
dial grimaces. 

On  the  avenue  leading  to  the  pal- 
ace a  detachment  of  artillery,  three 
batteries  with  eighteen  guns,  ma- 
neuvred  playfully,  unlimbering  their 
pieces.  An  infantry  battalion  went 
through  an  open-order  drill,  with 
bayonet  rushes,  just  opposite  the  Ko- 
rean barracks.  Crowds  of  people, 
angry  but  intimidated,  jammed  the 
streets.  Anti-Japanese  posters  appeared  suddenly  and 
mysteriously  on  walls  and  were  at  once  ripped  off  by 
Japanese  policemen. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  two  Korean  officials,  emissaries 
from  the  Emperor,  came  hurrying  over  to  the  Legation 
and  were  received  by  Straight.  His  Majesty  asked  ad- 
vice of  his  honored  friends,  the  Americans.  What  should 
he  do?  The  Japanese  envoys  were  demanding  an  audi- 
ence, and  really  he  was  too  sick  to  grant  them  an  inter- 
view— much  too  sick.  This  was  an  old,  familiar  device 
of  the  Emperor's,  to  avoid  disagreeable  conversations. 

Straight  reminded  the  emissaries  that  they  had  been 
counseled  some  time  before  to  make  a  direct  appeal 
to  l^the^  American  government.  Mr.  Morgan  could  not 
advise    the    Korean    government,    of    course,    until    he 


M' 


^ 


■'i^* 


KOREAN   WATCHING   A  PARADE 


had  consulted  the  State  Department  at  Washington. 
"You  have  three  course.^,"  Straight  told  them:  "one, 
to  refuse  the  Japanese  demands  absolutely  and  take  the 
consequences;  two,  to  accept  conditionally  and  under 
protest,  reserving  the  right  of  appeal  to  foreign  nations; 
three,  to  yield  and  make  the  best  conditions  possible." 
They  insisted  that  he  take  their  message  to  Mr.  Mor- 
gan and  he  did  so;  naturally  enough, 
with  no  result.  So  they  went  sadly 
back  to  the  Palace,  with  a  parting 
assurance  that  His  Majesty  was 
really  very  sick. 

"At  half  past  ten  o'clock  that 
night" — so  runs  Straight's  diary — 
"I  went  out  for  a  stroll  around  the 
compound.  There  was  a  rattling  of 
rickshaws,  and  I  went  below.  On 
looking  over  the  wall  I  saw  that  the 
Japanese  were  going  away.  Hase- 
gawa's  carriage  had  already  gone. 
I  could  see  that  the  compound  was 
still  full  of  Japanese  policemen. 
Koreans  in  their  court  dress  were 
fluttering  to  and  fro.  It  seemed 
impossible,  as  I  stood  there  in  the 
moonlight  behind  the  hedge,  that  the 
fate  of  a  nation  had  been  sealed 
within  fifty  yards  of  where  I  stood, 
that  an  independent  empire  of 
twelve  million  people  had  agreed  to 
subjugate  itself  to  bullying  and  ex- 
ploitation without  a  struggle. 

"The  next  morning  Yak,  the  inter- 
preter, came  in  with  tears  in  his 
eyes  and  a  strange  and  wonderful 
cold  sweat  on  his  nose.  'They  did 
it,'  he  said;  'they  signed.'  He  said 
all  the  ministers  except  Han  Kyu- 
sul,  the  premier,  and  his  friend,  the 
Minister  of  Agriculture,  had  signed. 
All  accounts  agree  that  the  Premier 
did  indeed  stand  out.  It  is  said  that 
when  the  others  gave  way  he  pleaded 
a  headache,  left  the  room,  went  into 
His  Majesty's  presence  and  smashed 
his  official  hat." 

The  final  touch  of  ojtera  bouffe 
was  given  by  the  decision  of  the 
Emperor  to  banish  the  prime  minis- 
ter not  for  any  official  act,  but  be- 
cause that  distracted  statesman,  in  rushing  out  of  the  con- 
ference room  to  seek  His  Majesty,  took  the  wrong  passage 
and  stumbled  by  mistake  into  the  sacred  room  of  the  Lady 
Om  herself.     Such  sacrilege  was  not  to  be  condoned. 

Two  events  growing  out  of  the  capitulation,  the  suicide 
of  one  of  the  ministers  of  state  and  the  dismissal  of 
McLeavy  Brown,  were  thus  described  by  Straight: 

"Min  Yong  Whan  bade  farewell  to  this  crowd  of  offi- 
cials. He  went  to  the  house  of  a  retainer  and,  having  a 
room  prepared,  sat  down  on  the  floor,  drove  a  knife  into 
his  throat,  ripped  it  forward  and  killed  himself.  He  was 
a  man  of  almost  royal  blood,  who  could  approach  the 
Emperor  as  no  one  else  could  do.  and  a  cousin  of  the 
murdered  Queen. 

"We  heard  of  Min's  suicide  as  we  were  going  to  the 


-.i-r_ 


33 


train  to  bid  farewell  to  the  British  Minis- 
ter and  to  old  McLeavy  Brown.  Here 
was  the  man  whom  the  Russians  and 
French  had  tried  to  force  out  time  and 
again — abandoned  by  a  government 
whose  principal  asset  in  this  country  he 
had  been,  who  had  done  more  for  British 
interests  here  than  any  one  else,  in  an 
instant  ousted  by  the  Japanese! 

"With  their  usual  damnable  hypoc- 
risy they  had  tried  to  persuade  him  to 
resign  so  that  no  one  would  criticize 
them.  Being  an  old  sportsman  he  would 
not  do  this,  nor  would  he  accept  the  sola- 
tium with  which  they  tried  to  tempt  him. 

"The  day  before,  I  had  been  in  this 
same  station  to  bid  farewell  to  Ito,  who 
had  done  it  all.  Now  I  went  back  to 
the  center  of  the  city  to  learn  more  of 
Min's  death.  Here  around  the  center 
square  there  were  dense  crowds;  orderly 
they  seemed,  but  muttering.  Such  a 
hopeless  crowd  you  never  saw. 

"To  cap  the  climax  we  had  arranged 
a  Thanksgiving  celebration,  which  had 
to  go  off  notwithstanding  the  tragedy 
which  had  crushed  us  all.     Here  we  had 
the    missionary    stories,    the    bitterest 
stories,  the  suicide  of  Min's  wife  and  of 
Chyo,    a   highly   respected   ex-Premier. 
The  whole  community  is  excited  about 
the  withdrawal  of  the  Legation.     They 
voice  the  sentiment  of  the  Koreans  when 
they  say  that  they  have  been 
betrayed.     So  they  have.     It 
may  not  be  the  fault  of  any 
one    in    particular,    but    cer- 
tainly  because   of   our  treaty 
the  Koreans  have  looked  upon 
the  United  States  as  a  friend 
to  whom  they  could  turn. 

"It  came  as  a  cruel  blow 
that  the  United  States  should 
have  been  the  first  to  take  such 

a  step.  It  is  claimed  and  I  believe  it  is  true,  that  Min's 
suicide  was  largely  due  to  the  withdrawal  of  this  Lega- 
tion. Poor  Min,  he  did  all  that  he  could.  He  sealed  his 
testimony  with  his  blood,  and  if  ever  man  died  for  his 
country  it  was  he. 

"Yet  I  cannot  see  that  the  Japanese  could  well  have 
done  aught  else.  One  would  admire  them  more  if  they 
would  come  out  in  the  open  and  say  that  they  wanted 
this  place  and  would  have  it,  that  the  people  did  object, 
and  that  they  didn't  care  a  damn,  instead  of  trying  to 
put  it  before  the  world  that  the  Emperor  and  the  people 
really  appreciated  the  unselfishness  of  their  aims,  and 
want  them  to  protect  and  develop  the  country. 

"Such  is  the  East.  Coming  back  from  the  scene  at 
the  bell-tower,  we  heard  the  blatant  tooting  of  a  brass 
band  and,  sure  enough,  there  they  were-  you  know 
them  a  strangely  uniformed  aggregation,  tooting  and 
braying  away,  the  parade  for  a  Japanese  circus.  Mur- 
der, suicide,  arson  and  a  circus!" 

Straight's  fliary  and  letters  show  that  it  was  always 
the  highly  placed     the  Korean  court  circle     never  the 


JAPANESE  HOUSEMAID 


Korean  people,  whom  he  distrusted 
and  lampooned.  He  was  fond  of  the 
people.  They  were  simple  and 
trusting  and  honest. 

The    American    whose    visit    to 
Korea    was    to    have    the    greatest 
influence  on   Straight's   career   was 
E.  H.  Harriman.     At  that  time  the 
financier's    imagination    had    been 
fired  by  the  thought  of  putting  a 
Harriman  transportation  belt  around 
the  world.    Already  in  con- 
trol   of    the    Union    Pacific 
and  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
roads and  the  Pacific  Mail 
Steamship  Company,  he  had 
conceived  the  plan  of  link- 
ing up  the  ocean  line  with  a 
railroad     in     Asia    running 
from  the  sea  through  Manchuria  to 
a  junction  with  the  Trans-Siberian. 
Then    he   hoped   to   conclude   such 
agreements    with    the    Russians    as 
would  make  the  Trans-Siberian  a  part 
of  the   Harriman  system,  complet- 
ing the  world  belt-line  with  an  At- 
lantic steamship  line  to  New  York. 
In    connection    with    this    heroic 
project,  and  with  certain  financial 
negotiations  with  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment, he  came  to  the  East.     In 
the  course  of  his  journeys  in  Korea 
in     190.5     he     was     impressed     by 
Straight's  alertness  and  keen  judg- 
ment: and  it  was  to  be  E.  H.  Harri- 
man   who,    first    among    American 
financiers,  lent  a  sympathetic  ear, 
two  or  three  years  later,  to  the  Man- 
churian  loan   project   arranged   be- 
tween   Straight    and    the    Imperial 
representative    at    Mukden,    Tang 
Shao-yi. 

The  Korean  experience  marked  a 
distinct  turning-point  in  Straight's 
life.  It  was  now,  if  one  may  judge  from  his  letters  and 
diary,  that  he  first  was  seized  with  a  serious  interest  in 
the  economic  aspects  of  the  Far  Eastern  situation,  in  the 
opportunities  open  to  America  for  activity  on  a  far  greater 
scale  than  before. 

He  saw  that  the  United  States  was  the  only  important 
nation  in  the  world  that  had  not  engaged  in  the  scramble 
for  "spheres  of  influence".  Being  the  only  one  whose 
motives  were  not  under  suspicion,  it  alone  was  qualified 
to  take  the  leadership  in  realizing  John  Hay's  ideal  of  the 
Open  Door.  This  was  clear  to  many  students  of  Far 
Eastern  politics,  but  it  was  to  be  Straight,  through  his 
negotiations  with  the  Chinese  at  Mukden,  who  was  to 
make  the  first  practical  attempt  to  turn  the  Open  Door 
from  a  phrase  into  a  fact.  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose, 
however,  that  his  thoughts  had  approached  a  definite 
plan  when  he  was  Minister  Morgan's  secretary.  Before 
he  got  so  far  as  that,  Japan's  coup  had  caused  the  with- 
drawal of  all  foreign  envoys  from  Korea.  Straight  sailed 
for  home  early  in  19()()  and  a  little  while  later  joined  Mr. 
Morgan  as  his  secretary  in  the  Legation  at  Havana. 


y4 


KOREA    SIGNS    AWAY    HER    FREEDOM 


Chapter  V 
CONSUL-GENERAL  AT  MUKDEN 


\ 

^ 


^- 


f  r '     - 


A 


RUSSIAN   TYPES   IN    MANCHURIA 


IN  1906,  a  year  after  the  close  of  the  Russo-Japanese 
War,  Willard  Straight  went  to  Mukden  as  Ameri- 
can consul-general.  This  city,  the  capital  of  Man- 
churia, was  then  the  storm-center  of  the  Far  East. 
Russia  in  the  north  of  Manchuria,  and  Japan  in  the  south, 
were  in  process  of  swallowing  this  rich  territory,  much  as 
Japan  had  absorbed  Korea.  Straight  was  twenty-six 
years  old,  afire  with  enthusiasm  and  confidence,  and  de- 
termined not  to  limit  himself  to  the  traditional  routine  of 
a  consular  representative.  Circumstances  favored  this 
ambition;  for  Mukden  was  a  fighting-ground,  not  only 
for  the  maintenance  of  Chinese  sovereignty,  but  also  for 
the  protection  of  American  rights.  The  difficulty  of 
quick  communication  with  the  nearest  American  envoy, 
the  tenseness  of  the  international  political  situation  and 
the  desire  of  the  State  Department  to  get  prompt  and 
frequent  information,  gave  the  post  peculiar  independence 
and  importance.  Officially  a  consul,  Straight  became  in 
truth  a  diplomatic  agent. 

Though  surrounded  by  problems  of  the  gravest  nature. 
Straight  made  the  obtaining  of  quarters  for  the  Consulate 
the  work  of  first  importance.  The  United  States  govern- 
ment had  not  provided  funds  for  a  proper  l)uilding. 
Straight  knew  his  East  too  well  not  to  realize  the  effect 
an  unsuitable  house  would  have  upon  the  oriental  mind. 
All  the  high-mindedness  and  generous  purpose  under  the 
sun  would  avail  nothing  if  viceroys  and  governors  and 
their  underlings,  passing  by,  saw  the  American  flag  fly- 
ing over  a  mean  and  ugly  dwelling. 

Eager  to  start  on  his  real  task,  Straight  was  exasperated 
by  having  to  plead  and  argue  about  something  that  should 
have  been  disposed  of  at  once  as  a  mere  detail.  And, 
being  without  means,  he  was  seriously  worried  by  having 
to  meet  official  needs  out  of  his  own  purse. 

"If  I  had  the  money,  all  this  would  be  done  without 
a  whimper,"  he  wrote  a  friend  in  Washington,  "but  I 
haven't,  and  I  tell  you  it  sometimes  well-nigh  drives  me 
mad.  Of  course  I  will  stick  it  out  the  work  is  absorb- 
ingly interesting,  and  the  game  fascinates  but  sometimes 
it  looks  as  if  the  breaking  point  is  at  hand. 

"I  should  hate  to  feel  that  I  must  chuck  it,  for  it  was  a 


tremendous  stroke  of  luck  to  be  sent  here.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  is  so  much  bitterness  in  wondering  how  to 
pay  the  servants,  how  to  meet  one's  insurance,  how  to  pay 
the  grocer's  bill,  that  it  does  not  seem  worth  while.  I 
have  cut  down  as  much  as  I  can.  I  can't  let  the  com- 
pounds be  filthy  for  lack  of  men  to  clean  them.  Yet  I 
have  to  spend  my  funds  for  telegrams  to  Washington,  for 
a  flagstaff,  for  repairs,  for  heating — all  things  that  are  for 
the  efficiency  of  the  office,  not  for  my  personal  comfort. 
Today  the  three  governors  of  the  Manchurian  provinces 
meet  in  conference,  the  consular  body  will  entertain, 
and,  as  senior  consul,  I  should  give  a  dinner.  I  know  I 
ought  to,  I  feel  that  I  must  and  yet  I  can't  aff'ord  it. 
That  done,  means  something  necessary  around  the  Con- 
sulate left  undone. 

"All  this  worries  me  so  much  that  it  interferes  with 
my  efficiency,  try  as  I  will  to  laugh  it  off  and  tell  myself 
that  better  days  will  come.  I  am  not  afraid  of  work,  and 
fighting  I  love  and  I  am  quite  prepared  to  sacrifice  if 
there  be  cause.  But  this  is  no  Valley  Forge,  not  while 
Congress  can  raise  its  own  salaries  and  build  itself 
private  offices,  and  I  can't  help  resenting  it — this  out- 
posting  and  beggary  combined." 

After  months  of  correspondence.  Straight  was  finally 
directed  by  a  superior,  as  he  jubilantly  wrote  to  his  friend, 
"to  do  what  I  'damn  please'.  And  I  'damn  please'  to  fix 
up  the  temple  I  told  you  about." 

Yet  he  came  near  to  losing  his  temple  after  all. 

"It  had  been  given  up  by  the  Japanese  commander,  and 
upon  my  return  from  Peking  I  made  for  it.  When  we 
talked  to  Watanabe,  the  commander,  he  asked  Arnell  of 
our  office:  'Well,  what  al)out  that  San  Francisco  matter'.'' 
Arnell  told  him  it  was  all  newspaper  talk,  fomented  by 
Germans  who  were  anxious  to  profit  by  the  estrangement 
of  two  such  time-honored  friends.  This  seemed  to  satisfy 
the  warrior.  We  thereupon  opened  up  negotiations  with 
the  Chinese  owners.  In  the  meantime,  one  Nikitine,  the 
Russian  vice-consul,  appeared.  Unwarily  1  told  him  that 
I  hoped  to  get  a  temple.  He  promptly  went  after  one 
for  himself,  and  with  characteristic  disregard  for  meum 
and  luum  attempted  to  inveigle  the  lamas  into  signing  a 


36 


IN  FRONT    OF   THE    RUSSIAN    CONSIILATK 


contract  for  mine.  He  could  then  have  wired  his  Minister 
that  all  was  arranged  and  could  have  laughed  at  me.  I 
should  have  spanked  him,  driven  his  folks  out  of  the 
place,  or  never  let  them  in,  and  told  him  to  go  to  war. 
But  he  weakly  budged  a  little  and  told  me  he  was  afraid 
there  had  been  some  mistake.  I  answered  that  there 
certainly  had  been,  and  that  the  temple  was,  and  would 
continue  to  be,  mine.  So  it  seems  settled,  and,  when  you 
come  out  for  a  visit  this  summer,  you  will  sleep  under 
painted  beams,  with  gilt  dragons  looking  down  at  you 
from  a  parti-colored  ceiling." 

It  was  at  Mukden  that  Straight  made  the  illustrations 
for  J.  0.  P.  Bland's  book,  Hon>;choal  Dfj.?y.s  in  China.  In 
a  letter  Bland  has  told  of  a  visit  he  paid  to  his  collaborator 
in  the  spring  of  1907,  soon  after  Straight  had  moved  into 
his  new  quarters. 

"The  Consulate-General  was  the  ancestral  hall  of  old 
I-ko-tang-a.  It  was  a  picturesque  and  a  very  fitting 
place  for  a  Consul  with  the  aspirations  of  a  knight-errant 
and  the  dreams  of  an  artist,  this  Manchu's  ancient  home, 
with  the  huge  memorial  tablets  on  their  stone  turtles' 
backs,  lying  in  the  central  courtyard  just  as  the  masons 
had  left  them,  unfinished,  when  the  vanguard  of  the 
Japanese  army  entered  the  city  and  their  General  made 
this  his  headquarters. 

"I  arrived  by  night.  The  May  moon  was  shining  in  a 
cloudless  sky.  The  courtyard  where  we  sat,  talking  of 
love  and  war,  of  wisdom  and  folly,  far  into  the  wee  sma' 
hours,  was  all  silver  splendor  and  mysterious  shadow. 

"Next  morning  we  went  to  a  lama  temple  close  by  to 
see  the  annual  festival  of  the  Devil  Dance,  a  solemn  rite, 
which,  as  the  head  priest  e.xplained,  ensures  peace  and 
prosperity  to  the  whole  Empire.  (Subsequent  events 
proved  that  there  must  have  been  some  flaw  in  the  ritual.) 
To  the  American  Consul-General  and  his  guests  were 
given  the  seats  of  honor,  next  to  the  aged  Chinese 
military  mandarin  who  presided  over  the  proceedings. 
Willard  whiled  away  the  time  by  making  little  sketches 
of  the  performers,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  host. 

"In  the  afternoon  we  walked  out  to  the  Imperial 
Tomb,  across  the  plain  where  the  great  ten  days'  battle 


had  been  fought  between  the  Russians  and  the  .lapanese 
two  years  before,  now  a  beautiful  stretch  of  turf.  Passing 
through  a  lovely  wood,  a  very  paradise  of  birds,  where 
hawthorn  and  honeysuckle  and  lilies  of  the  valley  were 
in  full  bloom,  we  came  to  the  grove  of  firs  that  surrounds 
the  sacred  tomb,  and  sipped  pale  tea  with  the  old  Wen 
Tajen,  the  placid  guardian  of  that  peaceful  resting-place, 
a  philosophical  soul  with  whom  Straight  loved  to  talk. 
Then  home  again,  as  the  sun  was  setting,  to  dinner  and 
Willard's  guitar  beneath  the  glimpses  of  the  moon. 
Finally  much  talk  of  pictures  he  was  then  busy  on 
sketches  for  our  book     and  of  contemporary  art. 

"Next  morning  came  a  deputation  of  priests,  politely 
returning  our  'call'  of  the  day  before,  all  in  their  cere- 
monial robes,  very  dignified  and  courteous,  yet  filled  with 
irrepressible  curiosity  concerning  the  strange  works  and 
ways  of  the  white  man's  home.  Straight  handled  them 
with  all  the  tactful  kindness  of  an  affectionate  kinder- 
garten teacher.  That  evening  I  took  the  long  Siberian 
trail  for  London  and  he  came  a  little  way  with  me,  as  the 
oriental  custom  is,  on  the  road  to  Mong  Chia-Tun.  I 
remember  that,  at  the  railway  station  where  he  left  me, 
a  Japanese  policeman  came  up  and,  fussily  important, 
asked  us  in  fairly  good  Chinese  where  we  were  going. 

"  'To  the  North,'  said  Willard  genially.  Whereupon 
the  guardian  of  Japan's  special  interests  glared  in  of- 
fended dignity.  'Do  you  know  my  business?'  he  asked. 
'I  am  a  Japanese  policeman.'  'Very  glad  to  meet  you,' 
Willard  replied,  'but  this  happens  to  be  China,  not  Japan.' 
Another  angry  glare,  and  the  policeman  said,  'Oh,  no, 
this  is  Manchuria.'  "Tis  a  true  word,'  said  Willard, 
laughing.  Before  the  train  started,  they  had  waxed 
friendly,  and,  when  I  left,  they  were  discussing  the  politi- 
cal situation." 

All  manner  of  gatherings,  serious  and  gay,  were  held  at 
the  Consulate.  On  the  morning  the  flag  was  first  raised 
over  the  building,  the  American  residents  of  Mukden  were 
in\nted  to  attend  and,  when  the  Stars  and  Stripes  reached 
the  top  of  the  staff,  a  salute  was  fired  with  Chinese  bombs. 
An  amusing  delusion  among  the  lower  class  of  Chinese 
was  that  the  height  of  the  pole — it  happened  by  pure 


37 


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J 


ri^ 


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"^^'^ 


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.-■J'' 


.'/  ■•%., 


"> 


^<:^ 


A    DEVIL   DANCER 


chance  to  be  fifteen  feet 
higher  than  any  other  in  the 
city — gave  the  American 
Consul-General  precedence 
among  all  foreigners  in  Muk- 
den. When  they  were  told 
that  the  height  of  the  flag- 
staff meant  nothing,  they 
shook  their  heads  and  smiled 
— they  knew  better. 

One  exceptionally  merry 
occasion  that  the  inhabitants 
of  Mukden  still  recall  was  a 
Christmas  dinner.  The  main 
room  of  the  Consulate  was 
i  '  ■  -^  ^_^    /■"        transformed  into  a  miniature 

pine  forest.  Colored  lanterns 
were  scattered  through  the 
foliage.  The  floor  was  strewn 
with  cotton  wool  and  pine 
needles.  Flags  of  all  nations 
drooped  from  the  ceiling. 
Cloth-and-paper  rabbits  and 
bears  and  wolves,  fashioned 
and  painted  by  the  Consul- 
General  himself,  were  perched 
on  the  branches  of  the  pines. 
All  this  served  as  a  frame  for 
a  table  heavily  loaded  with 
the  best  food  that  could  be 
collected  from  the  surrounding  countryside.  At  each  plate 
was  laid  a  menu,  decorated  by  the  host  with  a  sketch  and 
a  bit  of  nonsense  verse.  The  city  lay  deep  in  snow,  and 
the  guests  came  from  miles  around  in  Peking  carts  some 
of  them  in  sleighs     drawn  by  mules  with  jingling  bells. 

Through  such  hospitality — though  most  of 
the  parties  were  not  so  elaborate  as  this  Christ- 
mas dinner— the  old  temple  became  known  as 
the  pleasantest  of  all  places  to  visit.  Not  only 
Americans  loved  it,  but  Straight's  new-made 
European  and  Asian  friends  delighted  to  fre- 
quent it.  The  Russian  and  the  Japanese  Con- 
sul, who,  more  than  all  others,  were  hostile  to 
American  enterprise  in  Manchuria,  came  along 
with  the  rest. 

Thus  Straight  became  as  familiar  a  figure  in 
social  life  at  Mukden  as  he  had  been  at  Peking 
-   but  with  a  difference. 

There  he  had  been  an  onlooker  at  the  play  of 
international  politics  and  commerce;  here  he 
was  one  of  the  chief  actors.  There  the  serious 
side  of  the  Far  F^astern  question  had  been  inci- 
dental to  dinners  and  teas  and  receptions  and 
dances;  here  all  social  affairs  were  subservient 
to  serious  business.  And  the  unique  position  of 
the  United  States,  as  the  only  disinterested 
nation  where  China  was  concerned,  served  to 
heighten  his  prestige  and  popularity.  Not  only 
was  he  the  confidant  of  the  Chinese;  he  became 
a  trusted  friend  of  the  representatives  of  the 
nations  striving  most  actively  to  thwart  the 
ideal  of  the  Open  Door. 

The  friction  between  Chinese  and  Japanese 
was  at  its  hottest  in  those  days  of  Straight's 
sojourn  in  Mukden.    His  diary  and  letters  con- 


vey the  atmosphere  of  intrigue  and  suspicion  hovering 
over  Manchurian  life. 

"In  the  Jajwn  Mail  you  have  probably  read  that  one 
Hsu  Shih-chang  [now  president  of  China]  was  likely  to 
come  to  Mukden.  The  Japanese  are  trying  to  oust  Chao 
Erh-hsun,  the  present  viceroy.  On  Sunday  the  Japanese 
celebrated  the  second  anniversary  of  their  triumphal  en- 
try into  Mukden.  For  some  reason  Viceroy  Chao  at- 
tended. None  of  us,  naturally,  were  invited.  Hagiwara, 
the  Japanese  Consul-General,  bitterly  assailed  the  Rus- 
sians and  said  that,  while  they  were  in  Manchuria,  China 
had  been  a  weak  thing  in  their  hands,  without  power 
and  without  respect;  that  there  were  three  classes  who 
were  thankful  on  this  anniversary — the  Japanese  for  their 
victory  and  the  opening  of  new  fields  for  their  enterprise, 
the  Chinese,  whose  sovereign  rights  had  been  restored 
through  the  good  will  of  Japan,  and  the  foreigners  gener- 
ally, who  were  assured  of  an  open  door  in  Manchuria. 

"The  Viceroy  was  very  much  put  out  and  took  excep- 
tion to  Hagiwara's  statement,  denied  that  China's  sov- 
ereign power  had  ever  been  sacrificed,  and  then,  followed 
by  the  entire  official  outfit,  left  the  place.  Hagiwara,  so 
they  say,  was  in  a  frightful  stew  and  begged  the  Viceroy 
to  remain.  'Not  on  your  life,'  said  Mr.  Chao,  and 
climbed  into  his  chariot.  The  best  part  of  the  whole 
story  is  that  the  Viceroy  himself  would  never  have  had 
the  nerve  to  do  such  a  thing  had  he  not  been  put  up 
to  it  by  one  Tsao,  a  young  fellow,  product  of  a  Metho- 
dist university  in  the  United  States,  and  now  attached 
to  the  person  of  the  Supreme  One." 

"The  whole  question  of  Manchurian 
administration  is  in  an  unsettled  state. 
Chao,  the  present  viceroy,  has  long 
been  peraona  non  grata  to  the  Japanese, 
who  have  for  months 
libeled  him  in  their  jour- 
nals and,  if  rumor  be  cor- 
rect, brought  great  pres- 
sure to  bear  at  Peking  to 
secure  his  removal.  Early 
in  February,  it  looked  as 
if  he  would  go.  Yuan 
S  h  i  h  -  k  a  i  [viceroy  of 
;  Chihli  Province]  was 
•'  mentioned  as  his  prob- 
able successor,  but  he  of 
course  would  not  accept 
such  a  post,  and  Hsu 
Shih-chang  was  all  but 
ordered  to  take  over  the 
seals.  Hsu  was  one  of  the 
imperial  commissioners 
who  visited  Manchuria 
last  autumn  and  has  owed 
his  rise  in  life  to  the 
influence  of  Yuan  Shih- 
kai. 

"Yuan  has  of  late  been 
playing  much  with  the 
Japanese.  He  needs 
money,  and  one  of  the 
principal  Japanese  banks 
is  willing  to  lend,  when 
A  CHINESE  COMEDIAN  ad visable,  oti  terms  which 


38 


\ 


\ 


would   not   appeal   to   the   ordinary   profit- 
seeking    investor.       1    happened,    when    in 
Tientsin  recently,  to  attend  a  luncheon  given 
Yuan   by   Hayashi,   the  Japanese  minister. 
I  had  come  down  with  him  on  the  train  from 
Peking.    Why  he  asked  me  I 
cannot  say,  for  I  was  the  only 
white    man    present.     Yuan, 
who   impressed    me   tremen- 
dously, was  accompanied  by 
the  Customs  Taotai  and  one 
other    official,    and     besides 
Hayashi,  there  were  the  three 
principal    Yokohama    Specie 
Bank    managers     in     North 
China,  the  Japanese  Consul- 
General   and    a   flock   of   in- 
terpreters.    Most  of  the  Jap- 
anese   present    were    highly 
incensed  at  my  appearance  on 
the  scene,  and  Hayashi  rath- 
er seemed  to  enjoy  their  dis- 
comfort,   having    probably 
brought   me  in   as   a  sort  of 
political  gooseberry. 

"I  took  occasion  to  make 
some  inquiries  as  to  what  was 
going  on  behind  the  Vicere- 
gal scenery,  and  learned  that 
several  of  the  governors-gen- 
eral are  in  need  of  funds;  they 
are  afraid  to  acknowledge 
openly  the  necessity  for  float- 
ing a  foreign  loan,  and  wish 
to  make  their  arrangements 
quietly.  The  British  and 
Chinese  Corporation  as  well 
as  the  French  and  German 
syndicates  have  been  ap- 
proached, but  have  not  been 
satisfied  with  the  security 
offered.  The  Japanese  bank 
rily  into  the  breach. 

"To  go  back  to  Yuan.  As  you  doubtless  know,  he  won 
the  enmity  of  the  Emperor  some  years  ago  and,  for  his 
position,  has  depended  upon  the  Dowager.  That  lady 
is  not  only  wicked  but  old.  Her  days  are  numbered,  and, 
like  his  illustrious  predecessor,  Li  Hung-chang,  who  threw 
in  his  lot  with  the  Russians  to  save  his  own  skin.  Yuan  is 
now  looking  about  for  external  support  to  serve  him  in 
the  day  of  need  that  seems  to  be  fast  approaching.  The 
Japanese  are  obviously  heaven-sent — and  Yuan  has  un- 
doubtedly thrown  in  his  lot  with  them — to  save  his  skin." 

Hsu  Shih-chang  was  appointed  viceroy.  With  him 
came  Tang  Shao-yi,  to  be  governor  of  the  province  of 
Shengking,  in  which  lies  Mukden.  Tang  was  a  graduate 
of  Columbia  University,  and  well  versed  in  world  politics. 
Shortly  after  the  installation  of  these  two  men.  Straight 
wrote: 

"At  Mukden  there  have  been  great  changes.  Hsu  and 
Tang  arrived  with  a  flourish  of  trumpets  and  the  old  man 
Chao  went  away,  glad  to  be  rid  of  the  difficulties  of  his 
post,  I  surmise,  and  looking  forward,  with  a  sigh  of  relief, 
to  the  French  in  Szechuan.  He  had  a  fine  send-off,  and  it 
must  have  given  him  great  satisfaction  to  ride  to  the 


f^?i: 


h^ 


however,  is  stepping  mer- 


station   in  a  brougham  over  an  excellent  maca- 
damized road  through  lines  of  well-set-up  and  well- 
clothed  troops,  preceded  by  an  excellent  squadron 
of  cavalry,  and  last,  but  not  least,  of  all  to  pa.ss  a 
line    of    girls,   trousered    in   light    blue,    who,    in 
charge  of  a  young  lady  in  black  alpaca  skirt  and 
foreign  shoes,  had  come  to  bid  farewell  to  the  in- 
augurator  of  feminine  education  in  Manchuria. 
"Hayashi,  Hagiwara,  Kawakami  of  Harbin  and 
the   Newchwang   men   have   been    here 
with    their    heads    together     doubtless 
racking  their  brains  for  the  benefit  of  a 
t)ackward  and  untutored   China!     The 
formation  of  the  Yalu  Lumber  Company 
was  the   principal   object  of   Hayashi's 
visit,  though  I  imagine  that  he  wished  to 
come  up  here  on  the  heels 
of   the  new   administra- 
tion, much   as  the  pro- 
'•'^■'  spective  owner  of    a 

mansion    would   wish   to 
,.  .,       supervise  the  installation 
;,(>«  >         of  a  temporary  occupant 
,'  thereof.     He    lunched 

with  me  one  day  and 
talked  very  freely,  out- 
lining what  he  wished 
known  as  Japan's  policy 
in  Manchuria  and  voic- 
ing views  that  he  ap- 
parently wished  me  to 
transmit  to  Washington. 
With  comments  and  side 
notes  this  has  been  done 
to  his  satisfaction,  I 
hope." 

In  the  following  pas- 
sage in  his  diary  Straight 
acknowledges,  with  sat- 
isfaction, that  he  had 
erred  in  foretelling  that 
Hsu  and  Tang  would  be  the  willing  tools  of  the  Japanese. 
"Tang  and  Hsu  have  been  here  now  for  well-nigh  three 
months  and,  while  it  is  true  that  they  have  done  com- 
paratively little  constructive  work,  they  have  managed 
to  balk  the  Japanese  to  a  very  considerable  extent  without 
irritating  and  worrying  them  after  the  manner  of  Chao 
Erh-hsun.  .  .  .  For  a  long  time  I  was  afraid  that  the  new 
administration  would  play  into  Japanese  hands,  par- 
ticularly since,  in  addition  to  Yuan's  alleged  connections, 
Chao  Erh-hsun  was  undoubtedly  ousted  from  this  post  by 
Japanese  intrigue  and  as  a  concession  to  Japanese  wishes. 
Tang  and  Hsu.  however,  while  they  have  on  all  occasions 
shown  themselves  anxious  to  adopt  a  most  conciliatory 
attitude,  have  yielded  but  little.  They  have  been  most 
pleasant,  have  dined  and  wined  and  smoothed  the  Jap- 
anese— tactics  which  Chao  had  never  mastered — and 
have  steadfastly  refused  to  give  way  on  any  of  the  points 
at  issue." 

"Here  in  Mukden  we  have  had  much  ado  about  the 
visit  of  Baron  Oshima,  governor  of  Kuangtung.  There 
were  numerous  festivities,  enlivened  by  rather  amusing, 
if  tragic,  incidents.  A  huge  dinner  given  by  Tang  and 
Hsu,  in  the  hall  of  the  new  commercial  exhibition  building, 


AN   ACTOR    IN    THE    ROLE   OF   GENERAL 


39 


WILLARD    STRAIGHT    IN    THE    COURTYARD   OF   THE   CONSULATE   AT    MUKDEN, 
GEORGE    D.    MARVIN,    VICE-CONSUL-GENERAL    (RIGHT) 


WITH 


was  as  well  done  as  anything  could  be.  Cooks,  boys, 
service,  food,  wine  were  all  brought  from  the  Astor  House 
in  Tientsin.  Over  a  hundred  people  were  present.  The 
Viceroy's  band  played  e.xcellent  music  in  the  courtyard, 
which  was  garnished  with  potted  shrubs  and  illuminated 
by  countless  parti-colored  lanterns. 

"Hsu  made  a  speech,  which  was  translated  into  Jap- 
anese. Oshima  made  one,  which  was  translated  into 
Chinese.  Hsu  laid  particular  stress  on  the  international 
character  of  the  gathering,  addressing  his  remarks  to  us 
all  in  a  rather  marked  way,  and  not  by  any  means  dwell- 
ing upon  the  happy  augury  of  Oshima's  presence. 
Oshima  took  his  cue  from  Hsu  and  talked  about  the 
'Open  Door',  and  how  pleased  he  was  to  meet  us  all.  At 
the  suggestion  of  the  Russian  and  the  German,  who  re- 
sented the  fact  that  neither  of  the  principal  speeches  had 
been  translated  into  a  western  language,  I  stood  up  and 
addressed  the  multitude  on  behalf  of  my  colleagues.  I 
did  so  particularly  because  I  was  determined  that  the 
occasion  should  not,  as  the  Japanese  might  have  wished, 
be  a  Chino-Japanese  love-feast  with  the  rest  of  us  on  the 
side-lines.  I  put  it  into  Chinese  myself  and  thereby  made 
quite  good  particularly  with  the  foreigners,  who  didn't 
understand  how  bad  my  Chinese  was."  Probably  no 
other  incident  so  well  illustrates  the  confidence  and  poise 
of  Willard  Straight  a  youth  of  twenty-six,  speaking 
for  the  western  world  in  a  setting  of  ancient,  viceregal 
dignity. 

"At  Hagiwara's  there  was  quite  a  different  tone. 
Oshima  proposed  the  health  of  the  Emperor  of  China, 
the  Chinese  in  a  rather  perfunctory  manner  responded 
with  a  toast  to  the  Mikado,  more  speeches  were  made, 


and  the  band  played.  The  Japanese,  as  I  had  imagined, 
were  trying  as  far  as  possible  to  play  up  to  the  Chinese 
and  show  to  us  that  their  interests  were  the  greater,  and 
that  in  Manchuria  it  was  China  and  Japan  together. 
Hsu  and  Tang,  however,  did  not  on  this  occasion  warm  up 
very  perceptibly." 

Straight  was  zealous  in  upholding  his  country's  pres- 
tige, for  he  knew  how  much  outward  dignity  counted  in 
this  part  of  the  world-  knew  that  a  failure  to  maintain 
it  in  small  things  might  have  disastrous  consequences. 
Some  rude  tests  were  forced  upon  him,  and  he  met  them 
with  spirit.  The  news  of  his  championing  of  his  Chinese 
servants  against  a  Japanese  postman  who  attacked  them 
leaked  out  and  was  heralded  all  through  the  East.  His 
triumph,  trivial  though  the  affair  itself  was,  inspired 
respect  in  the  minds  of  men  to  whom  Open  Door  mani- 
festoes and  such  diplomatic  utterances  were  naught  but 
meaningless  words.  Straight  narrated  the  incident  in  a 
letter  home. 

The  way  in  which  the  affair  was  described  in  the 
pre.ss  flabbergasted  Straight.  He  had  narrated  it  in  a 
humorous  and  exaggerated  vein,  in  a  personal  letter  to  a 
friend,  and  the  friend,  over-enthusiastic,  made  a  news- 
paper yarn  of  it.  It  not  only  embarrassed  Straight  in  his 
relations  with  the  Japanese  Consul  at  Mukden,  but  it 
failed  to  make  plain  that  his  picture  of  himself  in  the  rAle 
of  a  swashbuckler  with  pistols  was  a  bit  of  the  comic- 
opera  satire  in  which  he  so  delighted.  The  letter,  which 
was  meant  only  for  his  friend,  was  as  follows: 

"Mr.  Japanese  Postman,  who  was  apparently  new  on 
the  beat,  elected  to  come  through  the  wrong  gate  to  de- 
liver letters  and  started  to  force  his  way  in.     Liu,  the 


40 


office  coolie,  objected  and  told  him 
where  he  should  go.  My  attention  was 
attracted  by  one  large  noise  and  the 
scene  of  Liu  and  postman  mixed.  I 
rushed  out,  separated  the  doughty 
combatants  and  demanded  explana- 
tions. 

"The  postman  wished  to  lick  Liu 
first.  Liu  was  equally  anxious  to  finish 
the  postman.  I  dissuaded  both,  and, 
having  ascertained  the  cause  of  the 
dispute,  told  the  postman  he  was 
wrong,  led  him  peacefully  out  through 
the  main  temple  gate,  then  pointed 
to  where  Clarence  stood  with  an  inter- 
ested smile  and  told  him  to  deliver  his 
letters  there.  This  the  postman  under- 
stood, although  the  conversation  was 
a  strange  hybrid  tongue,  medleyed 
English,  Chinese  and  his  own  chatter. 
Then  I  told  him  to  deliver  the  mail 
that  he  admitted  he  had.  He  said  he 
would  when  he  had  delivered  some 
Japanese  letters.  Seeing  that  he  was 
rather  piqued  by  his  unceremonious 
exit,  particularly  when  he  had  been 
interrupted  in  the  midst  of  a  scrap,  I  took  the  mail  myself, 
returning  to  the  office. 

"When  I  had  hardly  sat  me  down  with  the  official 
bunch  of  documents  and  half  sorted  them  for  perusal, 
Clarence,  pop-eyed,  and  Liu,  disheveled  and  half-weep- 
ing, rushed  in  and  informed  me  that  the  Japanese  were 
storming  the  front  courtyard.  I  rushed  out.  The  water- 
coolie,  Chester,  and  one  other  were  held  pig-tail-tight  by 
one  brute  standing  just  outside  the  gate.  Tang,  his  tail 
gripped  tightly  by  another  swine,  was  being  dragged  past 
the  gate-house.  Liu,  who  was  behind,  was  immediately 
seized  upon.  There  were  half  a  dozen  Japanese  black- 
guards beating  and  fighting  about  the  entry-way,  the 
postman  presiding  in  a  triumphant  manner.  I  chucked 
one  man  out,  told  the  others  to  get  and 
demanded  that  the  fellow  with  poor 
Chester  and  Company  should  let  go 
his  prey.  He  was  insolent  and  not  in- 
clined to  do  so.  Several  Chinese  police 
were  present  and  wholly  useless.  They 
finally,  however,  released  Chester  and 
the  others.  At  last  I  threw  the  post- 
man, protesting  about  the  sanctity  of 
His  Imperial  Majesty's  mail,  into  the 
gate-house  with  the  rest.  Four  nice 
birds! 

"I  got  a  Mauser  pistol,  unloaded,  of 
course,  and  displayed  it  prominently, 
and  my  small  S.  &  W.,  which  won't 
even  pull.  This  I  put  in  my  pocket 
with  a  great  flourish,  while  the  noise 
inside,  admonished  by  the  gent  who 
was  peeking  through  the  door,  quickly 
subsided.  I  had  sent  for  Japanese 
police,  but  these  not  putting  in  an  ap- 
pearance, I  saddled  my  steed,  took  two 
Chinese  carts  with  a  native  policeman 
to  each  one,  and  placed  the  two  Japa- 
nese inside  thereof.    The  Chinese  police 


WILLARD    STRAIGHT    FOUND    THE   OLD    CONSULATE    AT    MUK- 
DEN   UNSUITABLE    HEADQUARTERS   FOR   A   GREAT    NATION 


were  in  a  frightful  funk  the  whole  time,  and  the  whistles, 
which,  when  we  had  our  fire,  brought  them  down  like 
flies,  failed  to  raise  a  soul.  Disreputable  Japanese  from 
the  neighborhood  were  flocking  up  all  the  time,  however, 
and  I  rather  wished  that  my  guns,  exposed  to  such  plain 
view,  were  loaded.  The  exhibition  apparently  was  quite 
enough;  for  there  was  not  a  peep  from  the  multitude  as 
we  rode  away,  the  Bandarchips  inside  crestfallen  and 
trying  to  throw  an  awful  bluff  to  hide  their  loss  of  face. 

"We  went  into  the  Japanese  Consulate,  and  I  forced 
the  faltering  Chinese  policeman  to  go  into  the  very  inner- 
most compound  with  me  in  order  to  shame  my  captives 
the  more.  Kato,  consul-general,  had  to  be  hauled  out  of 
bed,  although  it  was  half  past  twelve.    He  came  in  and  I 


STRAIGHT    ESTABLISHED    A    NEW    AMERICAN    CONSULATE    IN 
THE    ANCESTRAL   HALL    OF    I-KO-TANG-A 


41 


-/•^> 


*i(-< 


"^ 


^J^/ 


i^ 


rr>^- 


^..,  \^:^,v-^  tilt -I  m  ~     -f  y  V  • 


>^-^"=js5^S^| 


L"  __. - 


.^(  l-,.Nt.    l.\    A    I  HINESE   THEATRE 


told  my  story  very  politely,  treating  the  whole  affair  as 
rather  a  joke  between  us  two  superior  beings,  but  insist- 
ing naturally  that  trespassing  upon  a  consulate  with  a 
foreign  flag  flying  overhead  and  dragging  a  foreign  con- 
sul's servants  into  the  highway  were  no  light  matter. 
Kato  apparently  agreed.  I  offered  to  make  a  written 
statement  but  he  said,  'Oh,  no,  that  isn't  necessary.' 
That  afternoon  I  received  a  note  telling  me  that  the  story 
of  the  man  was  very  different  from  mine,  and  asking 
me  to  make  a  written  statement  and  submit  a  map  of 
the  Consulate. 

"Not  a  word  of  apology,  not  a  murmur  of  regret.  It 
was  simply  a  damned  piece  of  insolence.  I  refused  to 
give  any  statement,  and  said  that  if  he  wanted  to  knoA- 
the  location  of  the  rows,  he  could  rUimned  well  send  his 
subordinates  over  to  find  out,  ending  up  by  pointing  out 
the  enormity  of  the  offense.  J^anguage  most  diplomatic, 
I  assure  you,  but,  my  dear  fellah,  coldly  formal. 

"Result:  a  most  cordial  note  from  Kato,  who  sent  his 
man  to  investigate  and  politely  inquired  whether  my 
servants  or  myself  had  .seen  the  postman  in  my  room,  as 
Tang  assured  me  he  had  been,  and  as  I  had  told  Kato  he 


was.  He  also  said  that  the  postman  swore  that,  when  he 
had  been  quietly  passing  my  premises,  my  servants  had 
rushed  out  to  attack  him,  and  that  three  or  four  patriotic 
Japanese  who  happened  by  came  to  the  assistance  of  their 
countryman  in  distress,  etc.,  which  was,  of  course,  a  most 
impudent  statement  and  an  entirely  untrue  one. 

"Kato's  last  word  was  that  regarding  the  postman's 
statements.  I  answered  him  that  I  did  not  believe  it, 
as  that  made  by  my  servants  appeared  much  more  prob- 
able, in  that  I  could  not  otherwise  account  for  the  presence 
of  half  a  dozen  Japanese,  armed  with  sticks,  on  my 
premises.  I  am  now  waiting  and  shall  submit  the  whole 
thing  to  Peking  and  Washington,  and  you  may  lay  a 
small  wager  that  if  Mr.  Kato  does  not  punish  his  people 
he  will  hear  about  it." 

Not  long  after,  Straight  briefly  chronicled  the  outcome. 

"Postman  got  one  month;  accomplice  eleven  days; 
another  fined;  I  received  an  apology  and  a  promise  that 
efforts  would  be  made  to  prevent  a  repetition." 

Straight's  acquaintances  saw  most  frequently  his  social 
side,  but  he  was  working  with  all  the  untiring  energy 
that  was  in  him.  He  was  continually  lamenting  his  lack 
of  training  in  government  service,  and  he  set  about 
making  up  by  industry  for  this  want  of  technical  prep- 
aration. He  pored  over  the  records  of  Manchurian 
trade  and  development  and  went  out  into  the  country  to 
learn  for  himself  what  were  the  possibilities  in  mining 
and  agriculture  and  railroad  construction.  Not  content 
with  short  trips,  at  last  he  decided  to  make  a  grand  tour 
of  Manchuria.  This  covered  several  weeks  and  took  him 
to  regions  rarely  penetrated  by  white  men.  Leaving  the 
railroad  and  main  water  routes,  he  traveled  in  carts  and 
small  boats,  and  rode  scores  of  miles  on  horseback.  When 
he  returned  to  Mukden,  he  had  accumulated  a  vast  store 
of  information. 

When  Mr.  Taft,  then  secretary  of  war,  made  his  jour- 
ney around  the  world.  Straight  prepared  for  him  an  ex- 
haustive report  upon  conditions  in  Manchuria.  This  he 
presented  when  he  went  to  Vladivostok,  under  orders 
from  Washington,  to  meet  the  Secretary's  party. 

"Marvin  and  I,"  he  writes  enthusiastically,  "made  the 
trip  to  Vladivostok  together  and  had  a  most  remarkable 
experience.  He  wanted  to  see  the  Secretary  about  a 
scheme  of  his  to  make  a  trip  through  the  Philippines 
under  the  auspices  of  the  War  Department,  and  I  of 
course  was  much  elated  at  having  an  opportunity  to  lay 
before  him  the  chances  for  American  activity  in  Man- 
churia. ...  I  will  not  attempt  to  go  into  the  superb 
chance  that  we  have  in  Manchuria  at  the  present  time, 
for  you  know  full  well  the  advantageous  position  that  the 
history  of  our  intercourse  (barring  the  Exclusion  and  the 
Canton-Hankow  Railway  incident)  with  China  has  given 
us.  You  know  too  the  dread  of  Japanese  aggression, 
which  is  very  strong  in  the  Chinese  mind.  But  beyond 
that,  Japan's  hands  are  tied,  1  think,  for  the  present. 
She  is  treading  on  thin  ice.  She  has  not  by  any  means 
won  for  herself  an  unassailable  [losition  here,  and  it  needs 
only  a  strong  hand  with  large  funds  and  the  approval  of 
the  American  government,  to  direct  the  growth  that  the 
Chinese  are  more  than  anxious  to  foster. 

"I  talked  with  Mr.  Taft  about  Manchuria.  He  was 
pleased  to  hear  of  the  reception  accorded  the  Shanghai 
speech  and  asked  many  ((uestions  about  present  condi- 
tions. He  repeated  many  remarks  of  the  day  before  and 
apparently  had  a  pretty  thorough  grasp  of  Chinese  af- 


42 


fairs.  He  was  glad  to  hear  of  the  prohibition  of  opium. 
He  spoke  of  a  certain  physician  in  Washington  who  had 
come  to  him  from  the  President's  doctor  with  a  splendid 
cure  for  the  opium  habit.  Then  1  suggested  Tang's  loan 
scheme.  It  appealed  to  Mr.  Taft,  but  he  didn't  seem 
very  optimistic  over  the  chance  of  obtaining  funds  at  the 
present  time,  nor  sanguine  of  the  ability  of  the  Adminis- 
tration to  interest  financiers.  We  reached  Harbin  at 
four.  There  was  a  Russian  guard  as  well  as  Chinese 
troops,  who  tooted  as  we  drew  in.  Taft  drove  to  the 
Grand  Hotel,  where  Fisher  had  prepared  a  lunch.  Here, 
owing  to  complications  between  Russians  and  Chinese, 
Fisher  asked  me  to  propose  all  toasts.  There  was  no  time 
to  make  any  other  arrangement;  so  I  proceeded,  toa.st- 
ing  first  the  President,  then  the  Empress  of  China,  the 
Czar,  the  Mikado,  the  President  of  France  and  the  Taft 
party.  Mr.  Taft  asked  me  if  we  wanted  him  to  speak, 
and,  as  I  replied  in  the  affirmative,  he  made  a  few  tactful 
remarks  about  the  railroad  and  the  enterprise  of  China 
and  Russia  in  building  the  line.  I  put  the  remarks  into 
Chinese  for  the  Taotai,  who  was  much  pleased.  The 
next  morning,  the  Cossack  Guard  took  the  party  to  the 
station  and  then  withdrew.  None  of  the  Russians  came 
down.  They  were  all  ofifended  apparently  by  the  placing 
of  the  Empresr  of  China's  health  before  the  Czar's. 
As  I  think  it  over  now,  the  whole  thing  might  have  been 
avoided  by  not  proposing  the  health  of  any  sovereign,  but 
merely  toasting  Taft  and  the  railroad." 

Men  who  served  at  the  Consulate,  accustomed  to  the 
easy  hours  consuls  usually  keep,  regarded  Straight's 
habits  as  proof  beyond  all  question  that  he  was  indeed 
green  in  the  government  service.  His  clerk  was  an 
Oriental  known  as  Mr.  Kao.  One  night  after  midnight, 
when  the  mercury  was  at  30°  below  zero  and  a  snowstorm 
was  raging,  Kao  suddenly  waked  up  and  remembered 
that  he  had  left  the  safe-key  in  the  office.  Shivering,  he 
climbed  out  of  bed,  put  on  his  clothes  and  went  to  get  it. 

"What  do  you  think!"  Kao  exclaimed  to  a  Scandinavian 
friend,  Juul  Blix,  next  morning.  "I  went  to  find  my  key, 
which  I  had  forgotten,  and,  when  I  stepped  inside  the 
office,  at  half  past  twelve  o'clock,  I  found  the  chief  hitting 
away  at  the  typewriter,  puffing  his  pipe  and  looking  as 
happy  as  if  at  a  feast.  It  is  a  queer  Consul,  Mr.  Blix,  who 
works  sixteen  hours  every  day — a  very  queer  man!" 

This  same  Juul  Blix,  who  was  an  assistant  in  the  Chi- 
nese Postal  Service,  has  related  the  incident  of  the  fire  at 
the  house  where  Straight  first  lived  in  Mukden. 

"When  I  arrived  on  the  scene,  the  Consul-General,  in 
shirt-sleeves  and  Russian  top-boots,  stood  at  the  top  of 
a  ladder,  emptying  the  buckets  as  they  came  along.  All  of 
a  sudden  there  was  a  cry  for  help  from  a  Manchu  police- 
man. As  he  sat  across  the  main  beam,  the  roof  at  his  back 
and  in  front  of  him  gave  way.  All  of  us  looked  on  in  hor- 
ror, thinking  to  see  him  disappear  the  next  minute  into 
the  fire  below.  Straight  jumped  to  the  ground,  got  a 
second  ladder,  carried  it  up  and  laid  it  so  that  it  reached 
from  the  top  of  his  own  ladder  to  the  beam.  Then  he 
crawled  along  it,  and  led  the  policeman  to  safety. 

"Early  next  morning  -it  was  frightfully  cold,  I  remem- 
ber -I  met  Straight  on  horseback,  just  outside  the  city 
wall.  He  was  bandaged,  and  I  thought  he  had  probably 
been  to  the  doctor's,  but  later  in  the  day  I  learned  he  had 
ridden  out  to  a  village  ten  miles  from  Mukden,  where 
the  Manchu  policeman  lived,  to  ask  how  he  was  getting 
on.    It  was  so  through  all  the  years  I  knew  him :  he  seemed 


A  PASSENGER  ON  THE  TRANS-SIBERIAX  RAILWAY 

always  to  be  trying  to  do  kindnesses  for  people — give 
them  things  they  needed,  help  them  out  of  difficulties, 
encourage  them  when  they  were  homesick  and  depressed." 
Straight  believed  that  the  only  answer  to  the  Chinese 
question  lay  in  the  internationalization  of  foreign  inter- 
ests.   This  result  could  be  attained  only  through  Amer- 


/' 


\\ 


1^- 


\\ 


\\ 


A  SIBERIAN  PEASANT  TYPE 


43 


WILLARD  STRAIGHT  AND  THE 


INTENDANT  OF  THE  EASTERN  MARCHES" 

The  Real 


Willard  Straight  Met  the  Chinese  in  the  Way  They  Love,  as  Man  to  Man  and  Friend  to  Friend 
Chinese  Have  a  Decided  Sense  of  Humor  and  They  Met  Him  Halfway 


ica's  lead,  and  he  saw  in  the  unsettled  state  of  Manchuria, 
which  called  for  powerful  and  disinterested  aid,  an 
opportunity  for  America.  Tang  Shao-yi  shared  this 
vision. 

"Our  own  relations  with  Tang,"  Straight  wrote,  "have 
been  most  cordial.  He  has  been,  in  fact,  noticeably  friendly. 
He  has  asked  me  to  secure  for  him  two  men  to  direct  an 
agricultural  college  that  he  proposes  to  establish,  and  I 
know  that  he  is  particularly  desirous  of  interesting  Amer- 
ican capital  in  this  region.  He  would  welcome  an  oppor- 
tunity to  float  the  loan  now  contemplated  for  the  devel- 
opment of  Manchuria  in  America.  It  seems  too  bad  that 
with  everything  in  our  favor  here  we  have  no  one  who  is 
interested  enough  in  the  situation  to  take  the  matter  up. 
The  more  I  see  of  Manchurian  affairs  the  more  am  I  con- 
vinced that  we,  the  Americans,  are  favored  above  all 
others  and  that  ours  is  the  opportunity  to  befriend  China 
in  her  time  of  need  and  to  aid  her  in  straightening  out 
her  affairs  here.  And  mind,  once  we  had  established 
ourselves  in  Manchuria  we  should  be  in  a  position  to 
work  through  Tang  and  Yuan,  who  is  now  in  power  at 
Peking,  and  do  a  tremendous  work  in  furthering  the 
Chinese  Renaissance.  The  task,  not  of  empire-building 
but  of  empire-shaping,  could  with  proper  handling 
be  ours. 

"The  possibilities  really  stagger  me  sometimes  when  I 
grasp  what  they  truly  signify.  It  is  a  work  that  would 
require  a  lifetime,  but  what  a  great  work  it  might  be! 

"It  must  be  admitted  that  Manchuria  is  open  today  as 
it  probably  never  would  have  l)een  had  the  Russians  re- 
tained control.  The  Open  Door  could  be  made  really  to 
exi.it,  if  we  were  willing  to  interest  ourselves  in  Man- 
churian trade  and  insist  that  there  be  equality  of  oppor- 


tunity. I  do  not  believe  that  the  Japanese  are  strong 
enough  to  carry  on  their  imperialistic  program  in  the  face 
of  our  opposition.  There  has,  in  fact,  been  a  noticeable 
change  in  their  demeanor  within  the  past  few  weeks. 
Their  former  Consul,  who  for  fifteen  months  employed 
tactics  that  he  had  been  wont  to  use  in  Seoul,  was  re- 
cently replaced  by  one  Kato  from  Tientsin,  a  very  mild- 
mannered  person,  and  the  different  demands  that  the 
former  Consul  was  pressing  so  earnestly  have  been  shelved 
for  the  time  being  at  least.  The  Chinese,  who  in  many 
cases  have  only  their  ow'n  weakness,  corruption  and  inde- 
cision to  thank  for  their  calamities,  have  recently  been 
much  more  self-assertive,  an  attitude  attributable  in 
part,  I  think,  to  the  coming  of  the  Pacific  Fleet  and  Sec- 
retary Taft's  Shanghai  speech,  which  frightened  the  Japa- 
nese as  much  as  it  encouraged  their  continental  cousins." 

Cynical  old-timers  in  diplomacy  and  international 
strategy  sniff  at  the  idea  of  any  motive  but  national  self- 
interest  in  these  affairs.  But  Straight's  interest  in  the 
development  of  China  sprang  in  the  beginning  from  a 
simple  human  feeling  of  fondness  for  the  Chinese.  Am- 
bition for  his  country  and  himself  strongly  impelled  him, 
but  that  fondness  was  the  beginning.  He  genuinely  liked 
the  people.  When  he  talked  with  one  of  them  he  was  not 
thinking,  "I  am  a  foreigner  and  you  are  a  Chinese,  let  us 
consider  the  differences  between  us";  l)ut  rather,  "Let's 
talk  as  man  to  man." 

The  Chinese  felt  that  he  liked  them  and  trusted  them, 
and  in.stinctively  they  liked  and  trusted  him  in  return. 
And  he  was  in  the  unicjue  position  of  having  behind  him 
a  government  as  disinterested  as  he  was.  To  say  this  is 
not  necessarily  to  attribute  any  great  virtue  to  the 
United  States.     Call  it  the  result  of  our  fortunate  cir- 


44 


WILLARD  STRAIGHT  AND  TANG  SHAO-YI,  THE  GOVERNOR  OF  SHENGKING 

Others  in  the  Group  Are  Minister  Rockhill,  Dr.  George  Morrison,  the  Famous  London  "Times"  Correspondent, 
Third  from  the  Left,  and  George  Marvin,  Vice-Consul-General,  Third  from  the  Right 


cumstances — an  ample  field  for  expansion  at  home-  - 
and  let  it  go  at  that.  The  fact  remains  that  America  had 
no  ulterior  designs  on  China.  All  it  wanted  was  equal 
treatment  for  all  nations,  with  China  reaping  the  benefit 
that  would  come  to  her  from  honest  foreign  investment 
and  fair  and  open  trading.  The  most  enlightened 
Chinese,  recognizing  this  fact,  were  anxious  that  America 
should,  by  becoming  a  direct  participant,  make  the 
first  definite  move  toward  true  internationalization. 

The  crucial  point  in  the  whole  Manchurian  situation 
was  railroad  control.  The  only  important  line  in  the 
country,  the  Chinese  Eastern,  was  held  by  the  Russians 
and  the  Japanese:  the  northern  part  of  it,  running  south 
from  Harbin,  by  the  Russians;  the  southern  part,  running 
through  Mukden  (known  as  the  South  Manchurian  line), 
by  the  Japanese.  Chinese  trade  was  openly  discrim- 
inated against.  It  was  plain  that,  until  there  should  be 
a  railroad  controlled  by  China  or,  if  under  foreign 
financial  control,  then  conducted  with  the  Chinese  in- 
terest always  paramount-Manchuria  could  never  be 
truly  a  part  of  China  but  would  fall  more  and  more  under 
Japanese  domination.  So  it  was  that  there  grew,  out 
of  the  many  talks  between  Straight  and  Tang,  the  pro- 
posal for  a  new  line  (afterwards  called  the  Chinchou- 
Aigun  line),  which  would  run  north  from  Chinchou 
through  eastern  Mongolia,  giving  China  an  independent 
connection  with  the  Trans-Siberian  and  continuing  on 
across  northern  Manchuria  to  Aigun  on  the  River  Amur. 
This  plan  was  a  gradual  development,  starting  with  the 
plan  for  the  short  British  line  from  Hsinmintun  to 
Fakumen  in  the  Mukden  region.  At  the  same  time  they 
discussed  a  scheme  for  a  bank  with  American  capital, 
which  should  aid  in  developing  agricultural  and  mining 
wealth. 

Not  onlv  from  his  studies  but  also  from  his  own  obser- 


vation during  his  long  trip  through  the  interior.  Straight 
knew  the  agricultural  resources  of  the  country  to  be  enor- 
mous. He  inspired  Tang  Shao-yi  with  a  determination 
to  introduce  modern  farming  methods  into  Manchuria. 
Tang  established  an  experiment  station  and  brought  to 
it  exports  from  an  American  agricultural  college.  The 
project  was  an  educational  one,  of  course,  and,  as  such, 
it  required  years  to  bear  fruit.  In  time  much  food 
would  have  come  of  it;  but  the  Revolution  threw  the 
whole  scheme  into  the  discard. 

At  that  time  E.  H.  Harriman  had  already  begun  to 
weave  a  plan  for  a  round-the-world  Harriman  trans- 
portation system.  The  Trans-Siberian  Railway  was  to 
be  made  a  part  of  it,  either  by  the  purchase  of  control  or 
by  a  hard-and-fast  traffic  agreement,  which  would  join 
this  road  at  one  end  with  a  Harriman  steamship  line  out 
of  San  Francisco.  But  Vladivostok  was  too  far  toward 
the  arctic  for  a  seaport  terminus.  A  necessary  link  in 
the  chain,  therefore,  was  a  railroad  running  south  through 
Manchuria  from  a  junction  with  the  Trans-Siberian  to 
an  ice-free  port.  This  Harriman  might  obtain  in  one  of 
two  ways:  by  constructing  a  new  line,  or  by  buying  the 
existing  Chinese  Eastern  from  the  Russians  and  the 
South  Manchurian  from  the  Japanese. 

From  the  conversations  they  had  had  when  Harriman 
visited  Korea,  Straight  knew  how  keenly  interested  he 
was  in  the  idea  of  Manchurian  development  by  American 
capital.  While,  as  Consul-General,  he  carried  on  discus- 
sions with  the  Viceroy  and  Tang  Shao-j-i,  he  looked  to 
Harriman  for  action  when  the  hour  should  be  ripe. 
Later,  on  his  return  to  America,  Straight  was  to  lay  before 
the  financier  his  own  expanded  %-ision  of  America's  r6le 
in  Manchuria  and,  as  a  result  of  the  plan  developed  from 
their  conferences,  he  was  to  go  to  Peking  as  representa- 
tive of  American  finance  in  the  Far  East. 


•i.5 


Chapter  VI 
FAR  EASTERN  FINANCE 


THE  impression  that  he  made  upon  E.  H.  Harriman, 
when  the  railroad  financier  visited  Korea  in  1905, 
was  directly  responsible  for  Willard  Straight's 
entrance  into  the  financial  affairs  of  the  Far  East. 
Harriman's  imagination  had  been  seized  by  the  vision  of 
an  around-the-world  Harriman  transportation  system, 
with  the  Trans-Siberian  Railway  a  part  of  it.  It  was 
Harriman  of  all  American  financiers  who  first  saw  the 
opportunity  for  great  American  development  in  the  Far 
East  and  backed  his  belief  with  hard  personal  work  and 
large  plans. 

"The  working  out  of  the  Eastern  question  interests 
me  and  there  is  much  we  can  do  to  get  it  started  on 
more  direct  and  straightforward  lines  than  heretofore," 
Harriman  wrote  Straight  just  before  his  death  after  four 
years  of  correspondence  and  relation- 
ship with  Straight  in  Far  Eastern 
affairs.  And  in  a  letter  to  another  he 
thus  recorded  the  reason  for  his  in- 
terest. "These  financial  groups  are 
very  uncertain  and  shift  and  change 
with  the  signs  of  storm  or  calm.  The 
development  work  appeals  to  me 
more  than  anything  else.  After  we 
have  determined  what  we  will  do, 
then  we  can  arrange  the  financing, 
and  how  it  shall  be  done  and  who 
shall  profit  by  it."  ;/_' 

"I  understand,"  wrote  Straight  in 
a  memorandum,  "that  the  suggestion 
that  Mr.  Harriman  make  the  journey 
of  1905  to  the  Orient  came  from  the 
Japanese    government,     with    whom 
he  had  established  close  relations  b> 
virtue  of  the  assistance  rendered  by 
him  and  by  Mr.  Schiff  in  coi)i)eratioii 
with  Sir  Ernest  Cassel  of  London,  in 
floating  the  last  Japanese  loan  in  New 
York  and  London.     By  reason  of  the 
Russian  defeat,  he  believed  it  might       , 
be   possible   to   make   some   arrange- 
ment for  the  acquisition  of  the  Rus- 
sian Trans-Siberian  line.     In  July  or 
early  August,   1906,  assisted   by   Mr. 
Lloyd   Griscom,  then  American   min- 
ister to  Japan  and  Mr.  H.  W.  Denison, 
an  American   attached  as  adviser  to 
the    Foreign    Office,    Mr.    Harriman 
reached  an  understanding  with   Mar- 
quis Ito  and  Count  Katsura,  then  the 
Japanese   premier,  under  which    Mr. 
Harriman  was  to  furnish  the  capital  for  the 
recon.struction   and   operation  of  the  South 
Manchuria  Railway  and  for  the  development 
of  various  mining,  timber  and  other  enter- 
prises along  the  line.     These  the  Russians 
had  extracted  from  the  Thinese,  and  the  Jap- 


V-: 


COf.H.IK    OF    rKKIN(; 


anese  in  turn  had  taken  from  the  Russians.  The  Jap- 
anese were  to  have  a  joint  interest  and  political  control 
in  this  undertaking.  Mr.  Harriman  was  assured  there 
would  be  no  hitch,  but  was  advised  that  nothing  definite 
could  be  done  pending  the  result  of  Count  Komura's 
negotiations  with  the  Chinese  government." 

A  year  later  Straight  learned  from  Harriman  that  he 
had  been  informed  through  one  of  the  leading  Japanese 
financiers  that  the  Chinese  had  not  approved  and  the 
Japanese  had  determined  to  deal  with  the  problem 
themselves. 

"Mr.  Harriman's  project  had  not  been  definitely  turned 
down,  but  it  was  obvious  that  no  further  progress  could 
be  expected,"  wrote  Straight.     "Prior  to  my  departure 
for  Mukden,  in  August,  1906,  Mr.  Harriman  asked  me  to 
keep  him  advised  as  to  railway  devel- 
opments in  Manchuria.     He  was  still 
determined    if    possible    to    obtain    a 
foothold  in  that  region  to  carry  out 
his  scheme.     Ultimately  the  Japanese 
government    arranged    to    obtain    in 
London    the    funds    with    which    to 
finance     the     construction     of     their 
South    Manchuria    road.     The    Jap- 
anese, much  to  the  disappointment  of 
British  interests,  expended  the  funds 
which  they  had  obtained  in   London 
in  placing  orders  for  railway  material 
in  the  United  States.     In  doing  so,  as 
I    understand    it,    they    were    partly 
influenced  by  a  desire  to  make  up  in 
some  way  for  the  failure  to  carry  out 
their  agreement  with  Mr.  Harriman." 
This  decision  by  Japan  to  hold  fast 
her  claims  in  Manchuria  marked  the 
unfolding    of    her    imperial    plan    in 
China.     It  also  marked  the  beginning 
of  a  long  and  tedious,  but  obdurate 
fight,   in   which   Straight   played   the 
leading  active  part     aimed  to  prevent 
Japan  and  Russia  from  closing  in  on 
Manchuria  to  the  detriment  of  other 
national   interests   and    Chinese   sov- 
ereignty.    The  conclusion  five  years 
later  of  the  contract  between   China 
and  the  Six  Power  Group  -the  United 
States,  England,  France  and  Germany 
with  Japan   and   Russia  admitted   as 
partners     for  joint  loans  to  China,  was 
the  first  great  result  of  the  fight.     The 
Consortium  of  1920  is  the  sequel. 
The  story  of  the  fight  begins  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1907,  with  Straight  as  consul-general 
at   Mukden.     The  general  aim  was  to  estab- 
lish   an    American     economic    foothold    in 
Manchuria.     The  concrete  aim  was  to  build 
a   railroad   which,   by   paralleling  the  South 


V 


1/ 

'I 


46 


Manchuria  Railway  (Japanese)  and  its  northern  exten- 
sion to  Harbin  (Russian),  should  nullify  the  strategic 
control  over  Manchuria  held  by  Russia  and  Japan 
through  their  possession  of  this  railroad  link  between  the 
Trans-Siberian  line  and  an  ice-free  port  on  the  Gulf  of 
Chihli. 

"At  that  time,"  Straight  wrote,  "Lord  fTrench,  repre- 
senting Pauling  and  Company  [British  contractors],  and 
J.  O.  P.  Bland,  representing  the  British  and  Chinese 
Corporation,  came  to  Mukden  and  secured  from  the 
Chinese  government  the  right  to  build  an  extension  of 
the  Chinese  Imperial  Railways  [the  line  from  Peking  to 
Mukden]  from  Hsinmintun,  north  to  the  town  of 
Fakumen,  47  miles  distant,  with  the  ultimate  right  to 
extend  this  road  to  Tsitsihar  [about  400  miles  north]  on 
the  Trans-Siberian  Railway.  [This  would  have  given  a 
railroad  connection  from  the  Trans-Siberian  line  across 
Manchuria  to  the  sea,  quite  independent  of  the  Russo- 
Japanese  line.]  I  was  familiar  with  these  negotiations. 
They  seemed  to  offer  an  opportunity  for  the  realization 
of  Mr.  Harriman's  plans  and  for  the  creation  of  Anglo- 
American-Russian  cooperation  in  Man- 
churia. This  I  believed  to  be  essential, 
for  I  did  not  feel  that  the  United  States 
was  sufficiently  strong  politically  alone 
to  undertake  to  counterbalance  Japanese 
influence." 

What  the  building  of  this  British  rail- 
road as  a  parallel  to  the  Japanese  South 
Manchuria  line  might  have  meant 
politically  may  be  judged  from  a  signifi- 
cant statement  recorded  by  Straight: 

"After  lunch,  Goto's  aide  [Baron 
Goto,  minister  of  Communications! 
came  in.  He  said  Japan  would,  if 
necessary,  with  weapons,  prevent  the 
construction  of  the  Hsinmintun-Faku- 
men  Railway." 

The  Japanese  protested  to  the  Brit- 
ish, their  allies,  and  the  British  Foreign 
Office  withdrew  its  support  from  the 
scheme,  which  fell  by  the  wayside.  But 
Straight  adapted  it  later  to  the  plan 
he  was  working  out,  as  providing  the 
means  for  joint  American-British  action 
in  Manchuria  under  American  leader- 
ship. 

"I  had  several  discussions  with  the 
Viceroy  [Hsu  Shih-chang,  now  president 
of  China]  and  Governor  ]Tang-Shao-yi]," 
Straight  wrote,  "and  as  a  result  drew  up 
an  outline  of  agreement,  which  would 
give  to  American  interests  the  contract 
for  a  loan  of  some  $20,000,000,  carrying 
with  it  the  right  to  establish  a  Manchu- 
rian  bank  to  cooperate  with  the  Man- 
churian  government.  This  bank  would 
be  the  financial  agent  of  the  Manehurian 
government  in  undertaking  mining,  tim- 
ber and  agricultural  development  and 
the  construction  of  certain  railways, 
among  others  the  line  from  Tsitsihar 
running  north  to  Aigun  on  the  Amur 
River.  This  scheme  I  sent  to  Mr.  Har- 
riman    in    September,    1907.     Early   in 


/^v_ 


A    KORE.^N 


October  I  received  a  cable  stating  that  financial  condi- 
tions in  New  York  were  such,  brought  on  by  the  panic, 
that  the  transaction  would  be  impossible." 

This  plan  put  up  to  Harriman  for  backing  was 
Straight's  first  important  contribution  to  the  .solution 
of  the  Far  Ea.slern  problem  through  American  action. 
He  was  convinced  of  Harriman's  intention  to  put  through 
a  big  idea  and  he  knew  that  the  panic  of  1907  meant  only 
a  temporary  delay.  In  the  field,  he  continued  to  work  in 
close  contact  with  Tang  Shao-yi  and  to  keep  the  State 
Department  and  .Mr.  Harriman  fully  informed  at  home. 
The  relationship  of  the.se  two  men  Straight,  a  mere 
untried  youngster  of  twenty-seven,  out  on  the  field,  and 
Harriman,  the  greatest  railroad-financial  genius  of  his 
generation,  at  home,  each  working  with  independent 
mind  and  vision,  with  .strong  confidence  in  the  other  and 
with  assurance  of  America's  ability  to  attain  a  place  of 
great  influence  on  the  Asiatic  continent  was  a  dramatic 
one.  The  two  stood  out  alone  in  the  breadth  of  their 
vision  and  resourcefulne.ss.  All  the  time  Straight  in 
Manchuria,  in  touch  with  actual  conditions,  was  working 
out  plans  and  the  diplomatic  facilities 
for  carrying  them  out,  to  be  put  up  to 
Harriman.  He  was  confident  that,  when 
the  time  was  ripe,  Harriman  had  the 
abiding  interest  and  the  nerve  to  put 
his  power  behind  them.  Harriman  on 
the  other  hand  relied  with  rare  confi- 
dence on  the  observing  power,  vision 
and  good  judgment  of  Straight.  So 
great  was  this  confidence,  that  a  year 
and  a  half  later  Harriman  was  making 
strong  representation  to  the  Taft  Admin- 
istration that  Straight,  who  considered 
himself  much  too  young  for  the  post, 
should  be  made  minister  to  China. 

In  1908,  almost  a  year  from  the  time 
Straight  first  put  up  his  proposition  to 
Mr.  Harriman,  he  was  suddenly  sum- 
moned by  cable  through  the  request  of 
Mr.  Harriman  to  return  to  the  United 
States  to  discuss  the  Manehurian  finan- 
cing plans.  Harriman  had  seen  that 
conditions  were  right  financially  for 
reviving  the  Far  Eastern  loan.  On  the 
night  before  leaving  Mukden— rather, 
at  six  in  the  morning  Straight  signed 
a  memorandum  of  agreement  for  a 
.$20,000,000  loan  along  the  lines  of  the 
discussions  of  the  year  before,  including 
a  Manehurian  railroad.  This  was  a 
rough  preliminary,  not  the  detailed 
agreement,  which  it  required  two  more 
years  to  get. 

"I  carried  the  agreement  for  nearly 
six  weeks  in  a  small  wallet  tied  about 
my  neck  in  a  silk  case,"  wrote  Straight. 
"That  memorandum  was  the  ground- 
work upon  which  the  American  Group 
is  based." 

He  was  made  acting  chief  of  the 
Division  of  Far  Eastern  Affairs  in  the 
State  Department  soon  after  his  arrival 
in  Washington.  He  took  up  with  Mr. 
Harriman  immediately  plans  for  cora- 


47 


pleting  the  loan  they  had  discussed. 

"On  the  third  of  December,  1908, 
by  Mr.  Harriman's  direction,  I  called 
upon  Mr.  Otto  Kahn  of  Kuhn,  Loeb 
&  Company  and  took  up  with  him  the 
question  of  the  loan   to   China,"   he 
wrote.     "Prior  to  my  departure  from 
Mukden     it     was     determined     that 
China  was  to  send  Tang  Shao-yi  as 
special     ambassador     to     thank     the 
United  States  for  the  return  of  a  por- 
tion of  the  Boxer  indemnity,  and  that 
on  his  arrival  in  America  he  should 
complete  the  negotiations  for 
the  loan  the  preliminary  agree- 
ment for  which  I  brought  home 
with   me.     In   the   meantime,    ^ 
early  in  November,  both  the 
Empress     Dowager     and     the        / 
Emperor  Kuang  Hsu  died  sud-       / 
denlv.     At   the  end   of   Octo-      /f 
ber,    moreover,    Baron    Taka-     /ci 
hira,   who  was  then  Japanese    (j  '  "* 
ambassador     to     Washington, 
had    suggested    to    President 
Roosevelt  and  Mr.  Root  that, 
in  order  to  prevent  any  diffi- 
culty between  Japan  and  the 

United  States  in  the  Pacific,  there  should  be  an  inter- 
change of  notes  regarding  the  preservation  of  the  Open 
Door  in  China,  stipulating  that  both  the  United  States  and 
Japan  should  mutually  respect  the  other's  interest  in  the 
Far  East. 

"It  seemed  obvious  that  Japan  was  endeavoring  to 
forestall  the  arrival  of  Tang  Shao-yi  and  the  attempt 
which  it  was  believed  he  would  make  to  reach  some 
understanding  with  the  United  States,  by  making  it 
appear  through  the  interchange  of  such  notes 
that  there  was  a  virtual  alliance  between  the 
United  States  and  Japan.  Mr.  Root  and 
President  Roosevelt  were  induced  to  post- 
pone the  actual  signature  of  these  notes 
until  Tang's  arrival.  He  reached  Washing- 
ton on  November  30,  the  notes 
were  shown  him  at  noon  that  day 
by  Mr.  Root  and  the  notes  them- 
selves were  signed  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon. 

"Tang  was  very  much 
discouraged.  On  the  death 
of  the  Emperor  Kuang 
Hsu,  his  nephew  was 
named  as  his  successor 
and  his  brother,  Prince 
f-'hun,  appointed  Regent. 
The  Regent  hated  Yuan 
Shih-kai  and  every  effort 
was  made  to  remove  him 
from  office.  Yuan,  how- 
ever, was  endeavoring  to 
hold  his  position  by  claim- 
ing that,  through  Tang's 
negotiations  in  the  United 
States,  he  would  be  able  to 
secure  American  support, 


^ 


A  FINE  CHINESE  TYPE 


A  i'ekin(;ese  in  wintek 


which  would  counterbalance  Japanese  domina- 
tion in  Manchuria.     The  interchange  of  notes 
with  Japan  was  promptly  used  by  the  Japanese, 
who  were  intriguing  against  Yuan,  to  prove  that 
Yuan  had  failed  in  securing  American  support 
and  that  the  United  States  instead  of  support- 
ing China  against  Japan  had  in  reality  con- 
cluded   a    virtual   alliance   with   the   Japanese 
government.      Yuan   was    driven   from   power 
early  in  January,  1909,  and  Tang  himself  left 
the    United    States    for 
London     shortly     after- 
ward.    He  felt  that  any 
further  discussion  of  the 
loan    was    useless.     The 
loan    negotiations    were 
dropped    for    the    time 
being." 

But  they  were  dropped 
only  from  the  Chinese 
end.  The  American  ne- 
gotiators were,  if  any- 
thing, more  determined 
than  ever  to  see  things 
through.  Mr.  Harriman 
reverted  to  his  original 
plan  of  1905-1906  for  the 
purchase  of  the  Japa- 
nese and  Russian  lines  in  Manchuria.  But  during  the 
subsequent  conferences  in  the  early  part  of  1909,  a  com- 
plementary and  alternative  scheme  evolved.  This  was 
to  secure  from  the  Chinese  a  definite  contract  for  the 
building  of  another  railroad  in  Manchuria,  which  could 
be  used  as  a  lever  to  influence  the  sale  of  the  Japa- 
nese and  Russian  lines  or,  failing  in  this,  could  be  built 
as  an  alternative  line.  Straight  tells  of  these  develop- 
ments as  follows: 

"While  these  events  were  taking  place  in  Washing- 
ton and  China,   Mr.   Harriman  had  kept  closely  in 
touch  with  the  situation    and    my    discussions    with 
Tang  Shao-yi.     In   November,   Mr.  Schiflf,  who  was 
in  close  touch  with  Mr.  Gregory  Wilenkin,  formerly 
the  Russian  financial  agent  in  the  United  States  and 
then  the  Russian  agent  in  Japan,  had 
been  advised  that  there  was  still  some 
possibility  that  Russia  would  be  willing 
to  sell  the  Chinese-Eastern  Railway,  if 
Japan   would  agree  to  sell  her   Man- 
churian  line.     Mr.  Schiff  wrote  to  his 
friend.  Baron  Shibusawa,  to  ask  whether 
the    Japanese    would    be 
willing,    in    view    of    the 
previous  memorandum  of 
agreement  with  Mr.  Har- 
riman,   to   sell   the   South 
Manchuria     Railway     to 
American    interests,    pro- 
vided the  Russians  would 
sell   the   Chinese    Eastern. 
"This    proi)osition    the 
Japanese     turned     down. 
Early  in  December,  I  pre- 
pared  a   memorandum   as 
to   the   basis   upon   which 
these  two  lines  might  be 


48 


acquired.  The  matter  had  been  taken  up  with  Tani; 
Shao-yi,  who  had  said  that  China  would  be  glad  and  would 
cooperate  if  we  could  organize  an  international  syndicate 
to  purchase  both  lines  on  behalf  of  China,  thus  antici- 
pating the  provision  for  repurchase  of  the  lines  contained 
in  the  original  agreement  of  1896  between  China  and 
Russia.  This  memorandum  I  believe  formed  the  basis 
for  the  Knox  neutralization  proposals  [for  an  interna- 
tional syndicate  to  buy  out  the  Russian  and  Japanese 
railroad  holdings  in  Manchuria]." 

Here  the  situation  becomes  complicated  by  the 
introduction  of  discussion  of  another  loan  to 
enable  American  financial  interests  to  take  up 
participation  in  the  building  of  the  Hukuang 
Railways  in  South  China.  The  State  Depart- 
ment had  been  fighting  for  the  right  of  Amer- 
ican finance  to  enter  this  loan  with 
the  British,  French  and  Germans. 
There  were  therefore  three  ideas 
moving  concurrently  in  the  minds 
of  the  Americans.  First  and  imme- 
diately came  the  effort  to  purchase 
the  Russian  railroad  in  Manchuria. 
Secondly,  there  was  the  necessity  for 
immediate  action  to  enable  the 
United  States  to  take  its  place  in 
the  Hukuang  loan.  Thirdly,  there 
was  the  fundamental  plan  in  the 
minds  of  Harriman  and  Straight  to 
obtain  from  the  Chinese  a  Manchu- 
rian  railway  contract  to  make  the 
American  position  secure,  whether 
the  Russians  or  the  Japanese  sold 
their  railroad  or  not.  This  con- 
tract, later  secured,  was  known  as 
the  Chinehou-Aigun  plan.  The 
negotiation  of  the  contract  was  to 
be  the  first  essential  in  the  Amer- 
ican position.  But  no  contract  with 
the  Chinese  could  be  official  without 
a  ratifying  edict.  And  therefore 
the  edict  for  this  contract,  told  of 
later  in  the  story,  became  the  key  to 
the  whole  American  position.  It 
was  in  the  development  of  this  idea 
for  the  Chinchou-Aigun  Railway 
that  Straight  contributed  his  first 
big  share  in  the  team-work  with 
Harriman  and  the  group  of  Amer- 
ican    financiers     now    interested. 

"Early  in  May,  Kuhn,  Loeb  &  Company  decided  to 
send  a  representative  to  China  to  endeavor  to  complete 
the  loan  negotiations  which  had  been  undertaken  the 
previous  year,"  Straight  wrote.  "Subsequently  it  be- 
came obvious  that  unless  American  financial  interests 
were  willing  at  once  to  enter  the  field,  the  right  to  par- 
ticipate with  the  British,  French  and  German  interests 
in  the  construction  of  the  Hukuang  Railways  would  be 
lost  to  the  United  States.  At  this  time  I  was  working 
very  closely  with  Mr.  Robert  Bacon  of  J.  P.  Morgan  & 
Company.  That  firm  was  also  thinking  of  sending  a 
representative  to  Peking,  and,  in  order  to  secure  coopera- 
tion between  the  American  financial  interests,  and  to 
secure  as  strong  representation  as  possible,  it  was  agreed 
in  June  to  form  the  so-called  American  Group,  consisting 


A  MANCHU    WOMAN 


of  J.  p.  Morgan  &  Company,  Kuhn,  Loeb  &  Company, 
the  First  National  Bank  and  the  National  City  Bank, 
and  I  was  designated  as  their  representative.  The 
Group  was  finally  organized  early  in  June. 

"Mr.  Harriman  sailed  for  Europe  at  the  end  of  May 
and  I  followed  at  the  end  of  June.  In  early  July  we  had 
a  conference  in  London  regarding  the  Hukuang  Rail- 
ways without  reaching  any  .satisfactory  understanding. 
Shortly  after,  I  went  to  Bad  Gastein  where  Mr.  Harriman 
was  then  taking  the  Cure.  I  stayed  two  days 
with  him  and  talked  over  the  Far  Eastern  situa- 
tion very  fully. 

"No  one,  I  think,  was  familiar  with  Mr.  Harri- 

man's    plans    for    his    Manchurian    railway   and 

round-the-world  transportation  system.     I  doubt 

very  much  if  Mr.  Kahn  knew  the  details  and  I 

am  quite  sure  that  none  of  the  other 

interests   of   the   American    Group, 

in  which  Mr.  Harriman  also  had  a 

participation,    were   at   all   familiar 

with  his  ideas.     While  in  Paris  Mr. 

Harriman   had   arranged   with   Mr. 

X to  go  to  Petersburg  to  discuss 

with   the   Minister  of   Finance  the 
possible    purchase    of    the    Chinese 
Eastern     Railway     [the     northern 
Manchuria    line].     I    was    to    en- 
deavor to  secure  from  the  Chinese 
government   the    right    to    build    a 
line    from    the    Gulf    of    Chihli    to 
run    north    to    the    Trans-Siberian 
Railway,  possibly  up  to  the  Amur. 
"Once    an    agreement    had    been 
reached  with  the  Russians  and  the 
right    for    the    construction    of    a 
north  and  south  line  secured  from 
China,    we    would    have    been    in 
position  to  negotiate  with  the  Jap- 
anese.    If  they  had  been  willing  to 
make  some  arrangement  regarding 
joint  operation  of  the  South  Man- 
churia Railway,  it  would  have  been 
unnecessary    to    construct    another 
north  and  south  line.     If  they  were 
unwilling  to   make  such  an   agree- 
ment,  the  construction  of  another 
north  and  south  line  operating  in 
conjunction  with  the  Russian  road 
would  have  placed  them  in  a  very 
embarrassing  position  in  Manchuria. 
"1  reached  Peking  early  in  September  and  on   Octo- 
ber 2,  with  Pauling  and  Company,  signed  with  the  Viceroy 
of  Manchuria  an  agreement  for  the  construction  of  a 
line  from  Chinchou  on  the  Gulf,  to  Aigun  on  the  Amur, 
making  the  first  step  in  Mr.  Harriman's  scheme.     This 
line  was  to  be  financed  in  America,  and  to  be  constructed 
by  Pauling  and  Company,  who  had  the  original  conces- 
sion from  the  Chinese  government  for  the  line  from  Hsin- 
mintun    to    Fakumen.     We    hoped    thus    to    have    the 
advantage  of  securing  .\nglo-American  cooperation. 

"I  had  received  word  of  Mr.  Harriman's  death  on 
September  10.  Returning  to  Peking  from  Mukden,  I 
found  a  letter  from  Mr.  Harriman,  written  on  the  way 

from  Paris  to  Cherbourg,  in  which  he  told  me  that  X ■ 

had  come  back  from  Petersburg,  where  he  had  arranged 


49 


with  Kokovtseff,  the  minister  of  Finance,  that  on  his 
return  to  Russia  from  a  trip  which  he  was  about  to  make 
to  Vladivostok,  he  (Kokovtseff)  would  recommend  the 
sale  to  American  interests  of  the  Chinese  Eastern  Rail- 
way. Mr.  Kokovtseff  in  accordance  with  his  promise 
did  on  his  return  make  this  recommendation. 

"The  arrangement  had  been  made  with  Russia,  the 
contract  secured  from  the  Chinese  government,  but  the 
directing  genius  had  gone.  I  cabled  to  New  York,  urging 
the  group  to  get  in  touch  with  Mr.  Harriman's  secretary 
and  familiarize  themselves  with  his  plans.  I  had  previ- 
ously urged  that  a  representative  be  sent  to  Petersburg  in 
order  to  negotiate  with  the  Russians  but  this  recommen- 
dation had  been  turned  down.  No  one  in  New  York 
knew  precisely  what  Mr.  Harriman  had  in  mind;  no 
one  was  capable  of  carrying  through  his  scheme.  The 
Group,  I  understand,  advised  the  State  Department  of 

the  arrangement  which  Mr.  X had  made.     Shortly 

after,  they  cabled  me,  asking  whether  the  Imperial  Edict 
had  been  issued,  ratifying  my  preliminary  agreement  with 
the  Viceroy  of  Manchuria. 

"I  replied  that  from  reliable  sources  I  understood  that 
the  edict  had  been  issued.  [As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  had 
not,  though  a  secret  and  vague  conditional  edict  had.] 
Without  cabling  the  Legation,  which  at  that  time  was 
in  charge  of  Fletcher  [recently  ambassador  to  Mexico], 
without  waiting  for  confirmation  from  me,  the  State 
Department,  on  the  basis  of  the  report  above  mentioned, 
launched  the  neutralization  proposals  [the  invitation 
sent  to  the  Russian,  Japanese,  Chinese,  British,  French 
and  German  governments  to  join  in  an  international 
arrangement  to  buy  out  the  Russian  and  Japanese 
railroad  possessions  in  Manchuria  with  an  alternative 
proposition  to  join  with  the  United  States  in  building 
the  Chinchou-Aigun  Railway,  the  potential  rival  of  the 
Russian-Japanese  line]. 

"The  scene  had  been  set,  but  to  carry  through  the  plan 
it  would  have  been  necessary  to  conduct  unofficial  con- 
versations with  both  Tokyo  and  Petersburg,  to  secure 
the  approval  of  London  and  Paris  and  possibly  of  Berlin, 
and  then,  when  all  arrangements  had  been  made,  to  make 
an  official  proposal.  It  would  have  been  wiser,  probably, 
in  any  case,  to  have  left  these  negotiations  in  the  hands  of 
private  individuals.  The  scheme  was  all  right  but  it 
required  delicate  handling  instead  of  blacksmith  methods. 
In  Russia,  M.  Izwolsky,  the  minister  of  Foreign  Affairs, 
was  a  bitter  enemy  of  Kokovtseff.  Also  he  was  anti- 
American.  Izwolsky  desired  a  closer  understanding  with 
Japan  and  Kokovtseff  wished  to  work  with  American 
capital.  By  handling  these  neutralization  proposals 
through  diplomatic  channels,  the  negotiations  were 
placed  in  the  hands  of  Izwolsky  and  not  of  Kokovtseff. 
IzwoLsky  used  the  whole  scheme  and  the  bogy  of  an 
American  incited  anti-Russian  China,  which  he  built  upon 
it,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  had  been  presented,  to 
convince  his  colleagues  in  the  government  that  the  only 
protection  again.st  American  intrigue  was  a  rapproche- 
ment with  Japan.  He  was  successful.  The  proposals 
resulted  in  a  rebuff  to  the  United  States,  the  nullification 
of  all  work  which  had  been  done  by  Mr.  Harriman  [in 
endeavoring  to  buy  or  internationalize  the  Russian  and 
Japanese  lines  in  Manchuria]  and  the  signature  of  the 
Ru.sso-Japanese  agreement  of  July  4,  1910  [for  mutual 
cooperation  and  protection  of  interests  in  this  territory], 
which  practically  lost  Manchuria  and  Mongolia  to  China." 


Whatever  declaration  Russia  and  Japan  had  made  in 
treaties  and  conventions,  what  these  two  did  not  want 
was  the  Open  Door  in  Manchuria  and  they  quickly  came 
together  to  defeat  it. 

The  story  here  goes  back  to  the  point  of  Straight's 
arrival  in  Peking  the  year  before.  Upon  him,  not  yet 
thirty  years  old,  acting  with  Henry  Prather  Fletcher, 
Charge  at  the  Legation,  rested  the  duty  of  representing 
American  interests  in  Peking  in  this,  the  greatest  foreign 
development  project  that  Americans  had  ever  under- 
taken. Straight  was  pitted  on  one  side  against  shrewd 
Chinese  court  favorites  and  officials — many  of  them 
grasping  and  corrupt — and  on  the  other  against  European 
financial  agents,  who  had  received  a  profound  schooling 
in  oriental  methods  and  European  intrigues  in  years  of 
residence  in  the  East.  True,  supposedly,  he  was  to 
cooperate  with,  not  oppose,  these  Europeans.  But  they 
were  suspicious  of  him  as  one  who  had  come  to  trench 
upon  their  preserves.  Nothing  could  be  more  eloquent 
of  Straight's  quality  than  the  way  in  which,  without 
yielding  any  American  rights  or  advantages,  he  con- 
quered their  hostility — through  tact  and  forbearance 
and  good  humor,  not  less  than  through  sheer  ability. 
Among  the  negotiators  of  the  other  group  three  stand 
out  as  men  of  kindred  spirit  and  outlook  with  whom 
Straight  formed  a  life-long  friendship  on  terms  of  warm 
affection.  They  were  Lord  ffrench,  who  represented  the 
British  contractors,  Pauling  &  Company,  Bland,  who 
represented  the  British  and  Chinese  Corporation,  and 
Casenave,  who  later  represented  the  French  Group, 
and  is  now  French  High  Commissioner  in  the  United 
States.  And  Straight's  colleague  in  the  union  of  diplo- 
macy and  finance  who  as  Charge  at  the  Legation  fought 
side  by  side  with  him  was  Fletcher,  affectionately  called 
by  Straight,  the  Elder  Brother. 

During  the  fall  of  1909  and  the  early  winter — before 
the  Knox  neutralization  proposals  came  out — there  was 
one  question  which  ran  like  a  dominant  motif  through 
the  official  American  community  in  Peking.  This  was, 
"When  will  the  edict,  ratifying  the  Manchurian  agree- 
ment, relating  to  the  Chinchou-Aigun  Railway  be  issued?" 
Rumors,  encouraging  assurances,  postponements,  eva- 
sions, constituted  an  excellent  specimen  of  Chinese  gov- 
ernmental procedure.  Fear  of  the  Japanese  and  Rus- 
sians was  one  powerful  factor  behind  the  Chinese  delay. 

"It  is  disgusting,"  wrote  Straight,  "to  see  the  terror 
with  which  the  high  Chinese  officials  regard  Japan  and  to 
realize  that  they  would  rather  sacrifice  their  richest  prov- 
inces than  risk  incurring  Japanese  displeasure." 

In  a  letter  of  December  3, 1909,  Straight  discusses  some 
of  the  reasons  for  the  Chinese  delay: 

"We  know  there  is  a  terrific  row  at  the  palace  between 
the  Regent  and  the  widow  of  the  late  Emperor.  Not 
only  this  worthy  lady  but  the  erstwhile  concubines  of  the 
Emperor  Tung  Chih,  defunct  some  forty  years,  are  now 
taking  an  important  hand  in  the  game.  The  Number 
One  Concul)ine  wants  honors  as  an  Empress  Dowager  and 
there  are  other  bereaved  ladies  in  the  palace  who  wish 
for  further  honorifics  to  be  called  'Emerald  Eye',  I 
suppose,  instead  of  'Sang  de  Bneuf.  The  spectacle  of 
these  old  women,  sitting  at  the  Imperial  Tombs  and  de- 
claring that  they  were  so  moved  by  the  sight  of  their  late 
lord's  resting-place,  which  they  had  not  visited  since  he 
was  planted  forty  years  ago,  that  they  could  not  return 
to  Peking  unless  they  were  given  certain  honors,  is  one 


50 


WILLARD    STRAIGHT    IN    MANCHURIA 

Straight  Had  Traveled  from  End  to  End  of  Manchuria  During  His  Consulate  at  Mukden,  Acquiring  First-Hand 
Knowledge  of  the  Country  That  Later  Stood  Him  In  Good  Stead 


that  provokes  our  mirth  but  the  Chinese  misery.  They 
came  back  the  other  day  over  a  yellow  road,  dear  things, 
for  they  refused  to  proceed  over  the  ordinary  dust  of 
commerce.  [Members  of  the  Imperial  Family  could 
travel  to  and  from  the  Imperial  Tombs,  more  than  100 
miles  away,  on  nothing  but  an  imperial  yellow  road, 
made  so  by  the  sprinkling  of  yellow  dust  or  sand.] 

"The  Viceroy  of  Chihli,  Tuan  Fang,  was  cashiered 
through  the  influence  of  the  Dowager  and  against  the 
will  of  the  Regent,  and  the  whole  place  is  so  upset  that  it 
is  difficult  to  know  when  w-e  may  expect  these  people  to 
take  up  our  matters.  Tuan  was  dismissed  ostensibly 
because  he  had  had  cinematograph  pictures  taken  of  the 
Empress  Dowager's  cortege,  and  had  run  telephone  and 
telegraph  wires  within  the  sacred  enclosure  at  the  Eastern 
Tombs.  More  than  that  -disreputable  clod  that  he  was 
-  -he  had  allowed  his  sedan-chair  to  be  carried  across  the 
Spirit  Path  (the  road  on  which  the  Empress  Dowager's 
funeral  was  to  proceed  to  the  tomb),  thus  holding  up  the 
whole  parade!  The  real  truth  is  that  the  party  of  the 
dead  Empress  Dowager  is  entirely  disgusted  with  the 
time-serving  policy  of  the  Regent,  and  has  compassed 
the  downfall  of  Tuan  to  humble  the  Chief  of  State.  It 
seems  now  not  improbable  that  Yuan  Shih-kai  may  come 
back.  He  will,  if  given  a  place  on  the  Grand  Council,  but 
not  without  it." 

The  Knox  neutralization  proposals  came  out  early  in 
1910  and  immediately  threw  the  Russians  and  Japanese 
into  each  other's  arms.  But  though  the  Knox  proposals 
forced  the  Russians  and  Japanese  to  refuse  definitely  to 
sell  their  railroad  lines  in  Manchuria  and  furthermore 
aroused  their  intense  opposition  to  the  building  of  the 


Chinchou-Aigun  Railway,  Straight  and  Fletcher  kept 
fighting  for  it  with  confident  hope  of  success.  And  suc- 
cess they  achieved  in  the  final  contract  signed  by  the 
Chinese  a  few  months  later. 

"Fletcher  managed  to  extract  the  Chin-Ai  Edict  from 
the  Chinese,"  wrote  Straight,  "on  practically  the  same 
day  that  the  Knox  proposals  were  published,  and  Wash- 
ington's face  for  the  moment  was  saved  a  little  bit." 
But  the  final  agreement  for  the  loan  still  had  to  be  drawn. 

"Our  whole  play  is  to  work  China's  fear  of  Russia  and 
Japan  to  get  our  detailed  agreement  through,"  Straight 
wrote  later,  "then  to  take  Japan  and  Russia  out  of  the 
way.  Had  we  done  this  first  and  then  tried  to  put 
through  our  detailed  agreement,  the  Chinese  would  have 
laughed  at  us. 

"The  Russians  have  put  their  foot  down  and  the  Chi- 
nese are  in  a  blue  funk.  They  will  not  move  until  forced 
into  action  by  our  government.  Whether  Washington 
can  do  more  than  it  has  done  already  to  help  this  ungrate- 
ful, vacillating,  weak-kneed  lot  of  ofiicials,  I  don't  know. 
It  could  if  they'd  do  even  a  little  to  help  'emselves." 

"Fletcher  and  I  threatened  Korostovetz  (Russian 
minister]  the  other  day,"  wrote  Straight  on  April  17, 
"that  if  he  didn't  get  his  government  to  allow  our  rail- 
way to  go  through  without  further  protest,  we'd  jolly 
well  have  Pauling  &  Company  and  the  Group  open  an 
office  in  Teheran  and  Constantinople  and  make  a  little 
trouble  there.     He  was  quite  inclined  to  take  us  seriously. 

"I  saw  that  the  Chinese  were  dilly-dallying  and  would 
continue  to  do  so  indefinitely  if  they  were  let.  I  saw 
that,  once  we  had  them  under  agreement,  we  could  go  no 
farther  until  we  had  either  squared  or  defied  Petersburg. 


51 


^f'^.it^-unt . 


cJfi^U  i-  i'5i<. 


MAURICE  CASENAVE 


The  last  course  we  could  only  risk  as  a  last  resort. 
Furthermore,  our  only  club  to  bring  the  Chinese  to  terms 
was  a  threat  to  leave  them  to  the  mercies  of  Japan  and 
Russia.  So  when  things  were  pretty  well  settled,  I  an- 
nounced that  I  would  leave  for  Russia  and  New  York. 
If  they  closed  before  I  went,  I  should  negotiate  on  their 
behalf  with  the  Russians;  if  not,  I  should  return  to  New 
York  and  report  that  they  were  not  seriously  anxious  to 
build  a  railway,  but  were  only  using  us  for  political 
purposes."     Straight  wrote  this  on  April  21. 

"Before  I  left  China  in  April,"  he  wrote  later,  "we  had 
completed  our  negotiation  of  the  final  agreement  for  the 
Chin-Ai  line.  The  Russians  and  Japanese  had  entered 
protests  at  Peking.  But  we  hoped  to  be  able  to  reach 
some  understanding  with  the  Russians.  To  this  end  I 
went  to  Petersburg  in  June,  1910,  and  met  the  ministers 
interested.  I  came  away  convinced  that  if  we  started 
to  build  our  line  and  told  the  Russians  we  would  only  go 
as  far  as  Taonanfu  for  the  time  being,  we  would  eventu- 
ally be  able  to  complete  the  work.  This  proposition 
however  was  turned  down. 

"The  Chinese  wished  to  know  what  the  American 
government  was  going  to  do  about  it  all.  The  Russians 
however  had  clearly  stated  that,  though  they  couldn't 
stop  our  building  the  line  and  had  no  treaty  rights  on 
which  to  base  their  protest,  they  would  jolly  well  take  it 
out  of  China  if  she  tried  to  cross  their  Trans-Siberian 
road  at  Tsitsihar,  anrl  approach  the  Siberian  frontier. 
We  ourselves  couldn't  fight.  The  Chinese  would  have 
gone  ahead  if  we  had  promised  to  back  them  up,  but 
this  we  could  not  do,  and,  had  we  pushed  the  matter, 


we  should  probably  have  gone  ofT  scot-free  and  seen 
China  lose  a  slice  of  territory  or  two.  Our  government 
therefore  sat  down  in  front  of  the  stone  wall  to  the  con- 
struction of  which  it  had  so  largely  contributed." 

This  conclusion  of  Straight's  was  set  down  long  after 
the  event  but  during  this  spring  of  1910  hope  of  success 
for  the  Chin-Ai  plan  ran  high.  This  hope  was  strongly 
encouraged  by  the  belief  that  England,  through  its  alli- 
ance with  Japan  and  the  influence  it  could  surely  exert, 
if  it  would,  at  St.  Petersburg,  would  stand  for  the  Open 
Door,  particularly  as  British  interests  were  directly 
involved.     But  instead,  England  herself  yielded. 

"It's  not  the  Open  Door  but  the  Door  Mat  policy — and 
China  pays,"  wrote  Straight.  "An  intimation  from  Sir 
Edward  Grey  to  Japan  that  interference  with  this  project 
would  be  regarded  as  a  serious  breach  of  Japan's  treaty 
obligations,  and  a  hint  that  the  London  market  might 
tighten  against  Japan  as  a  result,  would  have  chastened 
her  at  once.  Had  Downing  Street  firmly  but  politely 
told  Russia  that,  if  she  continued  to  oppose  China's  legiti- 
mate development  in  Manchuria,  it  would  be  necessary 
for  Great  Britain  to  reconsider  her  position  all  along  the 
line,  Russia  would  have  been  careful.  British  weakness 
has  been  the  signal  for  Russian  and  Japanese  bullying." 

The  Chinchou-Aigun  project  was  therefore  practically 
dropped.  But  for  Straight  it  only  meant  but  one  battle 
in  the  fight  and  he  turned  to  other  projects — the  Currency 
loan  and  the  Hukuang  loan — to  attain  the  same  end. 

Straight  had  come  to  Peking  athrill  at  the  prospect  of 
setting  in  motion  a  vast  development.  The  Manchurian 
loan  and  the  Hukuang  loan  were  matters  immediately  at 
hand.  But  he  saw  them  as  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  for 
China-  the  symbol  and  the  promise  of  still  greater  things 
to  be.  Not  bankers'  profits  but  the  sweep  and  bigness  of 
the  whole  scheme  its  meaning  to  the  future  of  his  country 
and  to  millions  of  men  in  Asia — stirred  his  imagination. 
Hence  the  atmosphere  of  distrust  in  which  he  found  he 
had  to  work  fell,  at  times,  like  a  pall  over  his  spirit. 

"What  bitterness  there  is  in  this  China  game!"  he 
wrote  in  one  of  his  letters  home.  "It  is  sickening  some- 
times. It  is  almost  impossible  for  you  to  realize  the 
pettiness  and  suspicion  that  prevail  here,  where  every 
one  more  or  less  is  spying  on  every  one  else.  It  is  the 
storm  center  of  world  politics,  and  the  foreign  community 
is  very  small.  We  see  each  other  nearly  every  day — 
there  are  but  few  outside  influences  and  diversions — and 
this  brings  out  the  little  meannesses  of  human  nature. 

"Because  one  man  does  not  invite  another  to  dinner, 
because  A's  wife  doesn't  call  on  B's,  B  curses  A  and  blocks 
his  business.  A  invites  B  to  dinner  and  pumps  him  dry; 
and  if  B  be  weak  or  vain,  the  chances  are  that  A  will 
learn  things  B  has  no  right  to  divulge.  You  are  up 
against  the  game  all  the  time;  each  party  to  it  finds  little 
respite;  for  even  our  distraction  must  be  shared  by  the 
same  fighting  crowd,  who  carry  the  scrap  with  them  to 
the  dinner-table  and  the  polo-field." 

Though  Manchurian  development  plans  were  the 
underlying  feature  of  Straight's  work  in  this  winter  of 
1909-1910,  the  matter  of  American  participation  in  the 
Three  Power  loan  for  the  Hukuang  Railways  was  of  con- 
current interest.  But  now  a  new  undertaking  supplanted 
both  Hukuang  and  Chinchou-Aigun  in  the  center  of  the 
stage.  This  was  the  Currency  loan,  for  the  reorganiza- 
tion of  China's  monetary  system,  a  structure  tottering 
insecurely  upon  a  silver  foundation. 


52 


Chapter  VII 
THE  CHINESE  CURRENCY  LOAN 


WHEN  Tang  Shao-yi  journeyed  to  Washinfjton  as 
special  envoy,  in  1908,  at  the  time  he  and  Willard 
Straight  were  working  out  the  Manchurian  loan, 
one  of  his  plans  was  to  negotiate  a  loan  of  $;iOO,000,000. 
Part  of  the  proceeds  was  to  be  used  in  reforming  China's 
chaotic  currency  system.  Professor  Jeremiah  W.  Jenks, 
summoned  from  America  for  the  purpose,  a  number  of 
years  before,  had  presented  a  scheme  for  thorough  revi- 
sion. In  1910,  this  matter  of  currency  reform  was  re- 
vived at  Peking.  Plentiful  funds  were  needed.  The 
Manchu  Prince,  Tsai  Tao,  on  a  visit  to  the  United  States, 
early  in  1910,  made  a  preliminary  contract  with  the 
American  Group  of  bankers  for  a  $50,000,000  loan. 

Willard  Straight  had  come  home  at  this  time  for  con- 
ference, bringing  with  him  the  completed  contract  for 
Manchurian  development  and  for  the  building  of  the 
Chinchou-Aigun  Railway.  When  the  Russian  and 
Japanese  protests  held  this  up,  however,  the  attention  of 
the  Americans  was  concentrated  on  the  new  Currency 
loan.  The  final  working  out  of  the  Hukuang  loan  was  a 
concomitant,  though  lesser,  issue. 

For  the  next  year,  1910-1911,  Straight,  returning  to 
Peking,  gave  himself  up  to  the  development  of  this  most 
important  chapter  in  American-Chinese  finance.  The 
year  saw  the  hardest  battling  in  the  history  of  the  under- 
taking. For  the  sole  principles  on  the  basis  of  which 
America  can  be  of  service  to  China  in  her  financial  reor- 
ganization were  then  fought  out.  It  was  Straight  who 
bore  the  brunt  of  battle. 

On  one  side  were  his  European  associates,  bent  on 
making  loans  that  gave,  in  addition  to  fat  profits,  political 
advantages  in  claims  on  China.  The  Currency  reform 
loan  was  at  first  anything  but  beloved  by  the  British 
and  German  banking  folk.  Currency  confusion  was  a 
source  of  considerable  profit  to  foreign  bankers  in  ex- 
change. Thus  some  of  the  very  men  who  presumably 
favored  international  cooperation  were  unsympathetic 
with  this  particular  form  and  with  Straight.  On  the  other 
side  were  the  Chinese,  warily  anxious  to  escape  the  toils  of 
European  political  aggression,  wanting  money  badly  but 
on  terms  that  set  no  limit  to  its  corrupt  expenditure.  There 
were  his  own  principals  in  New  York  -now  lukewarm  to 
this  expensive  and  wearisome  Far-Eastern  dickering,  which 
dragged  on  and  on  with  only  faint  promise  of  immediate 
profit,  but  with  ever  deeper  enmeshment  in  diplomatic 
tangle.  The  financial  market  in  the  United  States  then 
was  a  very  different  affair  from  that  of  today.  Sizable 
foreign  loans  were  practically  unknown  and  unpopular 
with  the  investor,  who  distrusted  any  investment  not 
under  his  own  sight  and  who,  besides,  could  get  a  higher 
return  on  his  money  in  stock  exchange  securities.  Last 
and  often  most  irritating  was  the  State  Department  at 
Washington,  which,  with  an  air  of  bland  innocence, 
cabled  to  Peking  instructions  calculated  to  undo  the 
work  of  months  and  set  the  pot  of  intrigue  boiling  again. 

Straight,  in  conjunction  with  WiUiam  J.  Calhoun, 
American  minister,  Maurice  Casenave,  representative  of 


the  French  hankers,  and  Henry  P.  Davison,  who  was  con- 
fidently behind  him  in  New  York,  successfully  harmon- 
ized these  elements.  He  .supplied  the  energy,  assurance 
and  daring  in  independent  action  that  gave  his  chief  sup- 
porters among  the  bankers  in  New  York,  firm  ground  on 
which  they  could  hold  the  Group  behind  his  moves  on 
the  field.  He  achieved  a  working  basis  by  virtue  of  un- 
usual toil  and  resourcefulness,  endless  compromise,  tact 
and  humor     diplomatic  talents  of  the  highest  order. 

It  was  the  year  of  his  large  achievement  for  American 
Far-Eastern  relations,  a  year  notable  for  the  formulation 
of  the  two  great  principles  on  which  the  success  of  the 
present  Consortium  of  1920  depends.  These  are  the 
principle  of  cooperation  instead  of  competition  among 
the  lending  Powers  and  of  foreign  supervision  of  the  ex- 
penditure of  loans  to  China,  to  prevent  their  dissipation 
in  Chinese  official  pockets. 

The  Currency  loan  contract  immediately  gave  large 


.  ^k  ^m 


53 


NUMBER   ONE   BOY 

prestige  to  the  new  position  of  the  United  States  in  Far 
Eastern  finance.  When  the  Chinese  recognized  that  this 
country  was  in  the  mood  to  lend,  they  readily  turned  to 
it,  for  it  had  no  covert  political  ambition.  The  fact  that 
the  Chinese  came  to  the  United  States  alone,  asking  this 
country  to  negotiate  alone  and  to  sign  alone,  gave  the 
American  group  a  powerful  advantage  over  the  others. 
It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  influence  in  international 
finance  possessed  by  the  youthful  Straight  when  he  went 
back  to  Peking,  in  1910,  to  work  out  America's  tactical 
advantage  over  the  European  and  oriental  financiers  and 
statesmen  shrewd,  trained  gray-heads  and  old  hands - 
against  whom  he  was  pitted.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  take 
the  lead;  nor  did  he  flaunt  his  advantage  or  lose  sight  of 
the  weaknesses  of  his  position.  He  never  used  power  in 
ways  that  fanned  the  jealousy  of  his  colleagues.  Rather 
he  won  their  confidence  in  his  initiative  and  their  respect 
for  him  as  a  business  associate     but  more,  their  friendship. 

The  Hukuang  loan  was  the  medium  through  which  the 
principle  of  international  cooperation  was  first  definitely 
worked  out.  Many  years  before,  a  railway  from  Hankow 
south  to  Canton  had  been  projected,  and  later  the 
.scheme  had  been  expanded  to  include  a  line  west  from 
Hankow  up  the  Yangtze  valley.  The  word  Hukuang 
was  manufactured  from  the  first  syllables  of  the  names  of 
the  provinces  to  be  traversed  by  the  road — Hupeh, 
Hunan  and  Kuangtung.  In  the  spring  of  1909  a  com- 
bination of  British,  German  and  French  bankers,  with 
the  diplomatic  support  of  their  governments,  concluded 
an  agreement  with  the  Chinese  for  the  financing  and  con- 
struction of  the  railway.  The  American  government 
entered  a  vigorous  protest  against  being  excluded.  Inas- 
much as  the  Chinese  seemed  to  ignore  this,  President 
Taft  sent  a  personal  cablegram  to  the  Prince  Regent  of 
China,  reminding  him  of  previous  engagements  that  gave 
America  the  right  to  participation.  The  Regent  ordered 
the  agreement  to  be  redrawn  to  admit  American  capital. 
Thus  the  principle  of  American  participation  was  settled. 

The  Hukuang  negotiations  had  proceeded  satisfac- 
torily, considering  the  delays  "because  our  British  and 


German  friends,  having  been  forced  to  agree  to  our  entry 
on  a  basis  of  financial  equality,  tried  to  prevent  our  pro- 
tecting ourselves  from  discrimination  against  our  railway 
material";  and,  when  Straight  was  in  Europe  in  May, 
1910,  on  his  way  home,  the  representatives  of  the  four 
groups,  American,  British,  French  and  German,  signed 
an  agreement  covering  the  terms  of  participation.  The 
late  J.  P.  Morgan  attended  some  of  these  conferences. 
"It  was  fine,  because  Mr.  Morgan  really  took  an  interest 
in  things — like  an  indulgent  parent,"  wrote  Straight  with 
enthusiasm.  A  preliminary  understanding  was  also 
arranged  in  Europe,  in  1910,  for  participation  by  the 
European  group  with  the  American  bankers  in  the  issu- 
ance of  the  Currency  loan  when  completed,  with  a  reser- 
vation by  the  American  bankers  of  the  right  of  inde- 
pendent action  if  the  Chinese  objected  to  participation 
by  the  others. 

This  understanding  made  the  position  of  the  American 
Group  in  the  Currency  loan  somewhat  anomalous.  It 
was  the  apparent  lender  to  China;  yet  Straight  felt  that 
it  would  have  to  farm  out  a  large  part  of  the  loan  in 
Europe.  And  this  troubled  him.  On  his  way  back  to 
Peking,  in  the  fall  of  1910,  he  wrote: 

"History:     The  Chinese  bring  us  the  Currency  loan 
on  the  understanding  that  we  are  to  be  the  sole  nego- 
tiators.    On  that  basis  we  accept,  though  for  some  weeks 
we   have    been    conferring 
with  the  European  groups 
about  a  general  quadruple 
understanding.  We  inform 
the  Chinese  we  may  wish 
to  issue  the  Currency  loan 
in  Europe,  to  which  they 
make   no  objection     their 
sole  request  being  that  we 
negotiate  and  sign  alone. 

"Hence  our  position, 
though  delicate,  is  all  right, 
and  straight.  Then,  liefore 
we  sign  our  preliminary 
agreement  with  China,  we 
propose  that  Europe — 
when  we  cannot  issue  in 
the  United  States  issue 
for  us  on  commission.  This 
is  of  course  a  tactical 
error,  for  it  shows  that  we 
have  no  absorbing  power 
in  America.  But  the  Eu- 
ropean banks  say  all  right, 
and  we  close  up  our  pre- 
liminary agreement.  It  is 
published,  or  rather  an- 
nounced, in  the  press. 
Then  comes  the  announce- 
ment that  the  American 
government  will  insist  up- 
on the  appointment  of  a 
financial  adviser. 

"We  engage  in  negotia- 
tions for  a  quadruple  agree- 
ment— we  show  Europe 
that  we  can't  handle  what 
we  get  from  China  and 
that  we  expect  to  unload 


■-->■<>,- 


J^ 


'XJ 


m 


¥ 


<^y 


n 


b 


YOIINC;   CHINA 


54 


three-fourths,  perhaps  four-fourths,  in  London,  Paris 
and  Berlin  and  then  Europe  learns  that  there's  to  be 
an  American  financial  adviser!  Their  bankers  and  gov- 
ernments both  say:  'Why  should  we  lend  money  to 
China  to  enable  America  to  have  a  financial  adviser? 
Especially  since  the  American  currency  system  is  thor- 
oughly had?'     Can  you  blame  them?" 

Straight  arrived  in  Peking  in  November.  "Wonderful 
to  see,  the  arrival  at  the  station!"  he  wrote.  "A  horde  of 
servants  and  a  number  of  Americans.  A  great  arch  of 
fire-crackers  with  a  placard,  'Welcome  Home{!)  to  Mr. 
Straight',  hanging  therefrom.  Then,  at  home,  the  court- 
yard decorated  with  plants,  red  lanterns  at  the  gate,  a 
floral  arch  over  the  little  gateway,  and  every  one,  foreign- 
ers and  Chinese,  apparently  glad  to  see  me." 

The  new  American  Minister,  William  J.  C'alhoun,  was 
at  the  Legation.  "He  is  a  corker,"  said  Straight,  "sound, 
clear-headed  and  absolutely  straight  and  fearless.  And 
he  has  a  nice  line  of  profanity  which  I  greatly  appreciate, 
for  I  am  always  much  handicapped  when  1  cannot  call 
on  my  own  rather  elaborate  vocabulary  for  choice  ones." 
Their  friendship  developed  into  warm  affection  and  they 
worked  closely  together.  Their  joint  despair  over  the 
State  Department's  offhand  omniscience  and  sometimes 
over  what  seemed  to  Straight  its  incredible  naivete,  was 
reflected  in  Straight's  letters.  After  weeks  of  trying 
negotiation  and  cabling,  he  wrote: 

"This  morning  a  long  telegram  from  Washington, 
which  said:  'What  grounds  have  you  for  believing  Russia 
and  Japan  have  intrigued  against  the  Currency  loan? 
Sift  these  reports  and  report  what  explanations,  if  any, 
are  made  by  the  Russian  and  the  Japanese  ministers!' 
Good  Heavens!  Imagine  going  to  Korostovetz  and 
Honda  and  saying,  'Prithee,  gentle  strangers,  have  you 
perchance  done  aught  to  interfere  with  our  altruistic  plan 
to  reform  China's  currency?'  'Tush,  tush,'  they  would 
reply,  slapping  the  inquirer  on  the  wrist,  'Naughty! 
Naughty!  How  could  you  have  thought  such  a  thing!' 
The  Department's  fine!  Does  it  think  we  are  playing 
kindergarten  games,  instead  of  gambling  for  an  empire!" 

"I'll  bet  the  Banderlog  (Banderlog,  borrowed  from  Kip- 
ling, was  the  nickname  for  the  Japanese,  current  among 
the  Europeans  and  Americans  in  those  days]  was  back- 
ing Lung  Yu  [the  Empress  Dowager]  and  Company," 
wrote  Straight  in  one  letter;  "and  it  would  be  like  'em  to 
create  such  a  palace  rumpus  that  they  would  'bust'  our 
loan,  either  as  an  American  or  an  international  deal;  for, 
if  it  ever  goes  through,  it  means  a  set-back  for  the  Japa- 
nese game  of  disruption  and  insidious  corruption  of  the 
Chinese  body  politic.  The  Japanese  will  move  heaven 
and  earth  to  make  trouble;  for  they  realize  that,  if  China 
can  put  through  her  currency  reform  and  the  four  na- 
tions have  strong  investments  here,  China  will  be  in  a 
fair  way  to  get  on  her  feet.  And  that,  above  all  else, 
Japan  does  not  wish.  In  the  meantime  the  Chinese  play 
ostrich  and  argue  with  us  on  face-saving  clauses." 

The  Russians  vied  with  the  Japanese  in  maneuvers 
against  the  integrity  of  the  Chinese  Empire.  During 
the  winter  of  1910-1911,  the  pneumonic  plague  swept 
over  Manchuria  with  ghastly  results.  It  produced  a 
fearful  funk  in  some  of  the  nervous  foreign  ministers  in 
Peking,  notably  the  German.  The  Russians  immediately 
took  political  advantage  of  it  in  a  move  to  occupy  Chi- 
nese territory  along  the  Siberian  border.  Their  excuse 
was  so  far-fetched  as  to  be  comical. 


-*%, 


LOKI)  FFRENCH 

"Korostovetz  had  stated,"  wrote  Straight,  "that  the 
plague  was  spreading  rapidly  through  northern  Man- 
churia; that  the  Chinese  were  doing  nothing  to  cope  with 
it;  that  Russia  feared  that,  unless  she  took  proper  steps, 
it  might  get  into  her  Far  Eastern  provinces,  and  thence 
through  Siberia  into  Europe;  that  the  Amur  and  Angara 
(border  streams)  were  frozen  and  that  the  Chinese  were 
trooping  across  the  ice;  that  Russia  did  not  have  enough 
troops  to  guard  her  frontier;  and  that  the  only  alternative 
course  would  be  for  Russia  to  station  troops  in  the  prin- 
cipal Chinese  centers  in  the  north,  whence  the  coolies 
could  be  prevented  from  going  into  Russian  territory. 
He  hoped  that  his  colleagues,  the  other  ministers,  would 
back  him  up  in  the  demand  that  he  intended  to  make  at 
the  Foreign  Office,  that  China  should  permit  Russia  to 
take  such  steps  as  she  saw  fit.  Russia's  purpose,  he  as- 
sured them,  was  humanitarian,  not  political  in  the  least. 

"When  Calhoun  told  me  this  I  howled.  Then  I  ex- 
plained the  lay  of  the  land  along  these  rivers  -the  fact 
that  there  was  but  one  Chinese  town  worthy  of  the  name, 
that  the  country  was  practically  a  wilderness,  save  for 
the  settlements  on  the  Russian  side,  and  that  the  stories 
about  coolies  crossing  the  ice  were  a  pack  of  lies  and  the 
whole  argument  specious.  It  seems  that,  when  he  made 
the  proposition,  the  diplomatic  body  looked  at  one 
another  aghast.  Then  the  German  suggested  that,  be- 
fore any  action  were  taken,  Jordan,  the  dean  of  the 
corps,  should  go  with  the  Russian  envoy  to  the  Foreign 
Office  and  see  if  something  couldn't  be  done. 

"I  pointed  out  to  Calhoun  that  this  was  all  a  move  in 
the  Russian  game;  that  I  had  noticed  for  some  days 
vague  hints,  in  the  telegrams  from  Europe,  that  Russia 
was  irritated  by  Chinese  failure  to  meet  Russia  in  a  'fair- 
minded'  way  (i.e.,  with  pockets  turned  inside  out  and 


65 


GATHERED    TO    DISCUSS   THE    CURRENCY    LOAN 

In  This  Group  Are  Representatives  of  the  Chinese  Government,  of  the  Legations  of  France,  Germany 
and  the  United  States  and  of  Foreign  Banking  Interests.  Dr.  W.  W.  Yen,  Educated  in  the  United 
States,  Now   Chinese   Minister   of   Foreign  Affairs,  Is  Seated  at  the  Extreme   Left   of  the  Picture 


hands  up)  in  the  discussion  for  revising  certain  treaties. 
All  this  had  clearly  presaged  a  row. 

"I  then  showed  Calhoun  how  beautifully  the  Russians 
had  played  it  this  afternoon- -for  we  knew  that  it  was 
being  done  as  we  were  talking — how  they  had  presented 
their  demands  almost  as  an  ultimatum,  and  then,  know- 
ing that  the  Chinese  would  go  squealing  to  our  Legation 
and  the  others,  had  made  the  attempt  to  head  this  off  by 
stating  that  all  the  powers  had  acquiesced  in  Russian 
plague  preventive  measures — i.e.,  the  occupation  of 
Chinese  territory.  This  is  of  course  a  political  occupa- 
tion, pressure  for  the  treaty  settlement,  and  the  Russians, 
playing  the  plague,  have  scored  the  first  point  by  making 
it  seem  as  if  the  other  legations  had  concurred.  I'll  bet 
that  the  Chinese  are  in  a  funk  tonight." 

"Just  exactly  what  I  have  feared  all  along  had  hap- 
pened," Straight  explained  later.  "Russia  had  made  her 
move.  At  dinner  tonight,  Max-Miiller  [British  Legation 
secretary!  agreed  that,  if  the  Chinese  had  closed  with  us 
before  on  the  loan  contract,  the  Russians  would  probably 
never  have  dared  take  this  action.  He  also  told  me  that 
the  Czar  and  the  Kaiser  had  discussed  China  at  Potsdam 
and  that  Russia's  present  action  was  to  a  great  extent 
taken  because  Germany  had  appeared  conciliatory  as 
regards  Russia's  policy  in  the  Far  East." 

These  moves  by  Russia  and  Japan  fanned  Straight's 
ardor  for  Currency  loan  success.  "I  regret  to  say  that 
to  fight  pleases  me  more  than  anything  else  I  know,"  he 
wrote.  "I've  been  at  it  hard  all  day  and  loving  it.  My 
hat's  off  to  the  enemy;  they're  an  able  crowd  and  I  ad- 
mire Japanese  and  Ru.ssian  diplomacy,  and  distrust  it 
correspondingly.     We'll  give  'em  a  run  for  their  money. 


"We  have  a  great  responsibility.  My  natural  inclina- 
tion— for  I  like  the  Chinese  and  believe  in  them — would 
be  to  give  them  a  chance  to  work  out  their  own  salvation, 
test  them  by  not  insisting  on  any  supervision,  but  I'm 
afraid  we  can't.  Only  now  the  officials  in  charge  of  the 
Ichang-Chengtu  Railway  (which  was  hailed  as  a  to-be- 
built-by-China  road)  have  been  impeached  for  pecula- 
tion, and  the  very  man  with  whom  we  are  negotiating 
now  has  just  returned  to  office  after  five  years'  disgrace 
for  taking  a  bribe  in  connection  with  the  Shanghai-Nan- 
king Railway.  We  shall  have  to  be  severe  Elder  Brothers, 
if  we  are  to  be  truly  friendly. 

"It's  a  great  game!  If  we  win,  it  may  mean  that 
China,  once  her  currency  is  on  the  sure  road  to  reform, 
will  abolish  likin  and  be  permitted  to  raise  her  tariff  in 
accordance  with  the  treaties.  [Likin  was  an  unscientific 
and  unsatisfactory  system  of  internal  taxation,  the  source 
of  widespread  waste  and  corruption.!  This  done,  she 
will  he  truly  started  toward  reorganization,  which  alone 
can  bring  the  efficiency  to  protect  her  against  our  Little 
Brown  Brethren.  So  we  have  to  play  it  with  a  long  eye 
toward  the  future  and  I  am  grateful  for  Ffrench,  for 
Calhoun  and  for  Davison. 

"It  is  hard  to  trim  and  pare  and  make  compromises, 
which,  however  right  they  may  be  and  calculated  to  se- 
cure the  best  results  for  all  concerned,  are  not  to  my  lik- 
ing. All  of  which  means  prol)al)ly  that  the  troubles  of 
the  next  few  months  will  have  a  most  salutary  effect  on  a 
somewhat  intolerant  and  rampagious  young  person!" 

"The  understanding  with  which  we  took  up  the  busi- 
ness was  that  China  was  to  appoint  a  financial  adviser 
[who  was  to  have  more  than  merely  advisory  powers  | 


56 


PROMINENT   FIGURES    IN    THE    CURRENCY    LOAN    NEGOTIATIONS 

Sir  John  Jordan,  British  Minister;  Na  Tung,  Vice-Premier;  Duke  Tsai  Tse,  Minister  of  Finance,  and 
W.  J.  Calhoun,  American  Minister,  Appear  Seated,  Left  to  Right.  Cordes,  Casenave  and  Straight, 
Representing  German,  French  and  American  Banks,  Stand  in  the  Order  Named,  from  Right  to  Left 


and  seriously  push  currency  reform,"  Straight  wrote,  in 
explaining  the  attitude  of  the  Chinese.  "The  Chinese 
are  jibbing,  and  we  shall  have  great  difficulty  in  assuring 
the  measure  of  control  without  which  we  won't  do  busi- 
ness. I  arrived  here  to  find  everybody  disgruntled  with 
the  London  agreement  [between  the  four-Power  bankers 
for  joint  issuance  of  the  loan].  This  impression  was  re- 
moved, I  think.  Bang!  came  another  rock  when  we 
began  to  talk  of  the  financial  adviser.  We  are  dealing 
with  two  men  of  quite  different  personality.  Duke  Tsai 
Tse,  head  of  the  Treasury,  is  honest,  patriotic,  rather  dull 
and  very  narrow-minded,  as  obstinate  as  a  mule  and  sus- 
picious. I  admire  the  man  and  think  him  sincere  and 
high-minded.  He  must  be  shown  that  it  is  right  for 
China.  Hats  off  to  him — would  that  there  were  more 
like  him — but  that  they  had  sense!  (Sense  to  do  what 
we  want  them  to!)     For  the  rest  of  the  lot,  I  have  little 

use.     Old  A is  one  of  the  most  astute  crooks  in  all  the 

galaxy  of  the  mandarinate.  He  wants  'squeeze',  while 
the  Duke  wants  to  save  China's  face.  Therefore  neither 
of  'em  wants  a  foreign  adviser  with  any  power." 

What  China  wanted  was  to  deal  directly  and  solely 
with  America  in  the  Currency  loan  plan.  For  the  reason 
that  the  money  could  not  all  be  raised  in  America,  the 
European  groups  were  in  a  position  to  demand  that  they 
be  admitted  as  joint  signatories.  Would  the  Chinese 
agree?  They  did  not  like  to,  but  there  were  several  per- 
suasive factors,  which  Straight  presented  very  directly. 

"Then  to  see  Mrs.  Calhoun,"  he  wrote.  "Hu  Wei-te 
was  with  the  Minister.  He  called  me  aside  and  told  me 
that  he  had  been  hearing  that  we  had  promised  France 
participation  in  the  loan,  that  we  couldn't  handle  it  our- 


selves, and  that  France  must  have  joint  signature.  He 
said  I  had  better  come  into  the  room  with  him  and  the 
Minister  and  explain.  For  two  hours  I  gave  Hu  Wei-te 
fatherly  advice,  pointing  out  the  connection  between  the 
Currency  loan  and  the  Chin-Ai.     This  nailed  him  hard. 

"I  spoke  of  the  importance  of  letting  the  others  in,  in 
order  to  insure  the  success  of  currency  reform,  and  then 
tariff  revision  what  the  joint  investment  of  American, 
French,  British  and  German  capital  would  mean  for 
China's  integrity.  He  was  gasping  for  breath,  poor  devil, 
but  I  think  he  got  it  fairly  straight.  When  I  ended  up 
by  saying  that  if  China  insisted  that  we  carry  the  trans- 
action through  ourselves  alone,  China  would  sacrifice 
her  credit  by  foregoing  an  international  quotation  for  her 
bonds  and  would  endanger  the  success  of  currency  re- 
form and  tariff  revision  by  estranging  the  other  Powers 
— when  I  got  through  with  this,  he  wasn't  so  sure,  after 
all,  that  we  were  doing  'em  down  and  betraying  them." 

"The  Chinese  game  becomes  clearer  now,"  Straight 
declared  as  negotiations  proceeded.  "I  think  we  could 
devise  a  satisfactory  plan  for  control,  but  I  am  sure  the 
break  would  come  over  joint  signature.  The  Chinese, 
I  think,  want  to  break  up  our  bankers'  agreement,  if  pos- 
sible, for  they  hate  the  thought  that  they  cannot  continue 
to  use  their  old  tactics  of  playing  us  off  one  against  the 
other.  This  is  very  short-sighted  on  their  part,  for" — 
here  Straight  sums  up  in  a  few  words  his  whole  Far 
Eastern  gospel — "the  creation  of  a  strong,  quadruple 
investment  all  through  China  would  be  the  best  insurance 
against  a  revival  of  the  old  spheres-of-influence  idea. 
But  they  have  no  one  big  enough  to  see  it. 

"The    Currency   loan    offers   American    diplomacy   a 


57 


splendid  chance  not  only  to  assist  in  China's  regeneration 
but  to  ward  off  a  very  real  and  imminent  danger.  In  the 
joint  investments  that  should  be  secured  under  this  agree- 
ment, American  diplomacy  may  find  the  basis  that  will 
enable  it  to  secure  and  hold  the  leadership  of  the  four 
Powers  in  preserving  the  Open  Door  in  China  and  the 
integrity  of  the  nation." 

Always  the  question  of  a  financial  adviser  was  the  rock 
on  which  the  negotiations  threatened  to  split.  The 
State  Department  at  Washington  insisted  that  the  con- 
tract provide  for  the  adviser  and  that  he  be  an  American. 
Many  high-placed  Chinese  regarded  it  as  an  affront  that 
their  country  should  be  required  to  yield  to  a  foreigner 
supervision  of  the  expenditure  of  the  borrowed  money. 
The  Europeans  thought  that,  inasmuch  as  they  were 
providing  a  large  share  of  the  loan,  they  too  should  be 
represented  by  advisers.  This  suggestion -a  board  of 
several  advisers — was  especially  displeasing  to  the  Chinese. 

"I  think  some  way  can  be  found  to  tie  the  adviser  to 
the  tail  of  the  loan  so  that  we  shall  have  him  and  yet  the 
Chinese  won't  have  an  international  board,  or  the  menace 
of  him,  during  good  behavior,"  Straight  forecasted  sev- 
eral months  before  the  agreement  was  finally  reached. 
"I  have  always  felt  that,  if  we  only  gave  the  pill  a  suffi- 
ciently sweet  coating,  the  Chinese  would  swallow  it." 

But  the  resistance  of  the  Chinese  was  strong.  Intrigue 
among  themselves  was  one  of  the  chief  reasons  why  their 
government  did  not  come  promptly  to  an  understanding. 
One  prominent  Chinese  in  particular  encouraged  the 
opposition  of  his  government.  He  himself  aspired  to  be 
the  arbiter  of  his  country's  financial  policy,  and,  in  order 
not  to  have  his  lustre  dimmed  by  the  intrusion  of  an  out- 
sider, he  employed  all  his  arts  to  defeat  the  adviser  plan. 

"X is  well   educated,   an   expert   mathematician 

and  can  talk  of  exchanges,  bonds,  stocks,  unearned  incre- 
ment, the  curb  market,  and  the  history  of  currency," 
Straight  records  of  him.  "This  load  of  information  sits 
heavily  on  his  stomach,  like  an  unripe  dumpling,  and 
makes  him  peevish  and  truculent.  He  himself  has  pre- 
pared a  scheme  for  currency  reform.  He  doesn't  want 
the  adviser,  for,  if  an  able  and  practical  man  came  here, 
he  would  probably  prick  some  holes  in  X 's  reputa- 
tion. He  sits  by  the  Duke  and  gives  all  manner  of  argu- 
ments why  China  should  not  bring  in  an  outsider. 

"X was  here  this  afternoon.      He  showed  his  hand 

by  trying  to  bluff  me.  He  threatened  me  with  the  new 
Senate  and  all  the  powers  of  popular  agitation.  I  told 
him  we'd  rather  chuck  the  loan  altogether  than  let  China 
have  the  money  without  protecting  China  and  ourselves 
by  making  satisfactory  provision   for  genuine  currency 

reform.     The  best  part  of  dealing  with  a  man  like  X 

is  that,  although  he  is  insolent  and  a  shrimp,  he  is  very 
intelligent.  He  does  know  a  great  deal,  so  that  he  cannot 
help  but  recognize  the  strength  of  our  arguments.  What 
we  ask  is  reasonable  and  in  China's  interest,  and  I  think 
that  we  shall  be  able  to  turn  the  tables  on  the  officials  who 
wish  to  use  the  Senate  against  us. 

"I  am  in  the  midst  of  an  endeavor  to  keep  New  York 
from  asking  too  much  on  the  one  hand  and  China  from 
giving  too  little  on  the  other.  It's  all  very  cheerful: 
the  Group  and  the  State  Department  howling  for  more; 
the  Chinese  cursing  and  squealing  because  we  ask  too 
much;  the  Japanese  trying  to  stab  us  in  our  metaphorical 
backs;  and  the  Russians,  English,  French  and  (lermans 
knock-knock-knocking  everywhere. 


"We  are  trying  to  rejuvenate  the  Chinchou-Aigun 
under  the  dust-cloud  raised  by  the  discussion  of  the 
Currency  loan.  This  game  gets  on  my  nerves  a  little. 
I  dream  of  it  all  the  time  and  work  out  schemes  and 
counter-plays  all  night.     It's  a  nuisance." 

There  were  days  of  despair  for  Straight  in  those  months 
of  1911,  when  all  effort  seemed  doomed  to  failure. 

"X told  Mr.  Calhoun  that  neither  Duke  Tsai  Tse 

nor  the  Prince  Regent  would  dare  appoint  a  foreign  ad- 
viser. Calhoun  said,  if  that  was  the  case,  we  might  as 
well  drop  the  matter  at  once,"  Straight  wrote. 

"It  looks  blacker  than  at  any  time  up  to  date.  The 
hopelessness  of  it  all  crushes  me  sometimes:  ignorance, 
obstinacy,  corruption  here;  lack  of  appreciation  of  Chi- 
nese conditions,  indifference  at  home;  Russia  and  Japan 
secretly  antagonistic,  insidious  and  far-sightedly  cynical; 
England,  France  and  Germany  nominally  sympathetic 
but  actually  jealous.     Truly  a  fine  situation!" 

Thus  Straight  expressed  himself  to  his  close  friends. 
But  such  moods  were  not  mirrored  in  his  demeanor.  He 
was  alert  and  tireless,  breathing  confidence. 

The  crisis  in  the  negotiations  came  shortly  after,  over 
the  question  of  the  financial  adviser.  "The  wire  [from 
home]  came  in  yesterday,  insisting  on  the  inclusion  in  the 
agreement  of  a  reference  to  the  adviser,  and  refusing 
flatly  to  discuss  provision  for  Manchuria  until  an  adviser 
had  been  appointed — not  agreed  to  in  principle,  even. 
This  seemed  to  me,"  Straight  commented,  "wholly 
unreasonable  and  unjustifiable." 

Duke  Tsai  Tse  absolutely  refused  to  appoint  the 
adviser  under  the  conditions  laid  down  by  Washington 
and  New  York.  It  looked  as  if  the  loan  were  finished, 
"gone  to  join  the  Chin-Ai  in  cold  storage".  But 
Straight  and  Minister  Calhoun  had  one  more  card  to 
play.  Acting  on  their  own  initiative,  they  sought  to 
persuade  the  Chinese  to  agree  to  the  appointment  of 
an  adviser,  but  in  separate  diplomatic  notes,  the  matter 
not  to  be  mentioned  in  the  loan  agreement.  The  most 
precious  of  all  things  to  the  Chinese  statesmen  was 
the  outward  dignity  and  repute  that  goes,  in  the  East, 
under  the  name  of  "face";  and  such  a  plan  saved  the 
Chinese  "face".  The  Chinese  would  not  have  to  admit 
before  their  people  that,  in  order  to  borrow  money, 
they  had  to  submit  to  a  too  onerous  and  humiliating 
foreign  control.  Another  part  of  this  last  resourceful  plan 
was  to  secure  the  agreement  of  the  Europeans  by  relin- 
quishing insistence  on  an  American  adviser  in  favor  of 
a  neutral  a  Hollander,  a  Swiss  or  some  other.  Straight 
and  Calhoun  set  about  inducing  first  the  Chinese  to 
agree,  then  the  Europeans  and  finally  the  State  Depart- 
ment and  New  York. 

"Yesterday  I  got  hold  of  the  Viceroy's  representative 
and  A  's   secretary   and  gave  them  the  dope   (very 

businesslike,  this!),"  Straight  records  of  the  first  skirmish: 

"'1.  Situation  in  Manchuria  serious — Japan  and 
Russia  may  make  some  excuse  to  seize  the  country.' 
Admitted  by  Chinese  with  groans. 

'"■>.  What  to  do?'     They  didn't  know. 

"';}.  You  must  call  on  America?'    'Yes.' 

"'4.  You  know  America  won't  fight?'    'Ye-es.' 

"'.'i.  You  know  America  is  disgusted  owing  to  your 
failure  to  appoint  an  adviser  and  put  through  the 
loan.'     'Ye-es.' 

"'G.   If  America  won't   light,   you   must   then   get   in 


58 


France,  England  and  Germany  these  being 
the  Powers  with  America  interested  in  preserv- 
ing the  integrity  of  China?'     'Yes     yes.'  " 

But  in  order  to  carry  the  plan  through,  Straight 
had  to  go  over  the  heads  of  the  authorized 
negotiators  to  the  powerful  Prince  Tsai  Tao. 
He  was  able  to  adopt  this  means  of  approach 
because  of  the  impress  that  his  personality  had 
made  in  the  most  exalted  circles  in  China.  Per- 
sonally, he  laid  the  situation  before  the  Prince. 

"I  stated  that  I  was  acting  entirely  unoflicially 
and  privately  but  felt  that  China  was  con- 
fronted by  the  most  serious  crisis.  I  pointed  out 
that  while  the  United  States,  England,  France 
and  Germany  were  interested  in  the  preservation 
of  China's  integrity,  both  Russia  and  Japan 
desired  to  keep  China  too  weak  to  resist  their 
aggression.  Owing  to  the  panic  caused  by  an 
increasing  death  rate  due  to  the  rapid  spread 
of  the  plague  in  Manchuria,  it  was  feared  that  at 
any  time  there  might  be  anti-foreign  or  anti- 
Japanese  riots,  which  would  enable  Russia  and 
Japan  to  rush  troops  into  Manchuria  and 
strengthen  their  hold  upon  it,  if  not  actually 
seize  it. 

"The  prince  admitted  this  possibility.  He 
also  admitted  that,  in  case  Russia  or  Japan  or 
both  took  such  action,  there  would  be  general 
unrest  and  possibly  outbreaks  throughout  China 
proper.  He  further  admitted  that  China  would 
be  unable  herself  to  meet  Russian  and  Japanese 
aggression  and  would  be  obliged  to  turn  to  the 
foreign  Powers  for  assistance,  and  he  agreed 
that  such  assistance  could  best  be  secured  if 
the  Powers,  and  particularly  America,  felt  that 
their  interests  were  menaced  by  Russia  and 
Japan. 

"I  then  pointed  out  that  the  American  govern- 
ment and  the  American  Group  were  much  cha- 
grined by  the  failure  of  China,  as  promised,  to 
appoint  an  American  financial  adviser  and  conclude  the 
Currency  loan;  and  that  England,  France  and  Germany 
were   irritated   by    the    failure  of    China   to   settle   the 
Hukuang  loan  and  to  admit  the  tripartite  banks  to  the 
loan  for  currency  reform.     To  secure  the  assistance  of 
these  Powers  against  the  encroachment  of  Russia  and 
Japan  it  would  be  necessary  to  give  them  some  quid  pro 
quo.     This  could  best  be  done  by  admitting  other  banks 
to  a  participation  in  the  Currency  loan  and  immediately 
settling  this  matter  and  the  Hukuang. 

"If  Manchuria  were  seized  or  occupied  by  Russia  and 
Japan  and  general  unrest  should  follow  in  China,  it  would 
be  impossible  to  float  Chinese  bonds  on  either  American 
or  European  markets.  It  was  therefore  essential  that 
immediate  steps  be  taken  by  China  to  secure  the  friendly 
interest  of  the  four  Powers  by  concluding  these  two  loans. 
"An  arrangement  could  be  made  whereby  the  Chinese 
government  should  request  the  American  government  to 
recommend  not  an  American  but  a  foreign  adviser.  The 
American  government,  before  recommending  such  an 
official,  could  consult  with  the  governments  of  England, 
France  and  Germany,  obtain  approval  of  the  man  to  be 
recommended,  whether  of  American  or  other  nationality, 
and  thus  secure  the  acquiescence  of  these  three  Powers  in 
the  appointment  of  a  single  adviser. 


REPRESENTATIVES  OF  FOREIGN  BANKERS 

Cordes,  Hillier,  Casenave  and  Straight  Brought  to  China  the  Direct 
Support  of  Their  Governments  in  the  Loans  of  1911 


"If  China  acted  quickly  in  this  matter  and  created  a 
large  joint  interest  by  permitting  the  four  banks  to  float 
the  Currency  loan,  she  would  obtain  practically  an  inter- 
national guarantee  for  her  integrity,  and  any  drastic  ac- 
tion that  Russia  and  Japan  might  contemplate  in  Man- 
churia might  be  forestalled.  [Russia  and  Japan  had  already 
demanded  participalionand  advisersintheCurrency  loan.] 

"His  Highness  seemed  impressed  with  these  statements 
and  promised  to  lay  them  before  the  Prince  Regent  and  to 
bring  pressure  upon  the  Duke  Tsai  Tse  speedily  to  con- 
clude the  Currency  loan  on  the  basis  suggested. 

"He  reiterated  his  conviction  that  the  appointment  of 
an  adviser  was  necessary  and  stated  that  he  feared  that 
Duke  Tsai  Tse  had  not  taken  a  broad  view  of  the  situa- 
tion but  had  been  influenced  by  the  arguments  of  certain 
subordinates  in  the  Board  of  Revenue.  His  Highness 
thought  that,  if  the  situation  could  be  clearly  presented  to 
the  Duke  when  these  subordinates  were  not  present,  the 
Duke  might  be  able  to  recognize  the  need  for  immediate 
action  and  could  be  convinced  that  in  appointing  an  ad- 
\aser  China  would  not  run  the  risk  of  being  subjected  to 
international  control." 

Four  days  after  this  interview  came  one  with  the  Min- 
ister actually  charged  with  loan  negotiations.  Straight 
proposed  this: 

59 


"The  Chinese  government  to  address  the  American 
Legation  and  request  the  American  government  to  recom- 
mend a  foreign  financial  adviser.  The  American  govern- 
ment to  reply  that  it  would  so  recommend.  In  order  to 
preserve  the  greatest  secrecy,  this  interchange  of  notes 
not  to  take  place  until  the  loan  agreement  was  practically 
ready." 

His  Excellency  stated  that  he  would  consent  to  the  ad- 
mission of  the  tripartite  banks  to  the  loan  and  asked 
whether  Straight  desired  the  negotiations  to  be  conducted 
by  all  four  representatives  or  whether  he  himself  would 
negotiate.  Straight  replied  that  he  preferred  to  conduct 
negotiations  alone.  When  the  agreement  had  been  prac- 
tically settled  with  His  Excellency.  Straight  was  to  sub- 
mit the  draft  to  the  tripartite  banks,  which  were  to  be 
invited  to  sign. 

The  critical  battle  had  been  fought  and  won.  But  the 
rest  of  the  campaign,  to  the  final  signature  of  the  loan,  in 
April,  1911,  was  not  conducted  over  primrose  paths. 
"We're  around  the  wall,"  said  Straight,  "but  I  can't  say 
that  I  feel  particularly  hilarious.  We've  merely  got 
through  the  mud  and  mire  and  bad  weather.  It  now  re- 
mains to  be  seen  whether  we  can  win  the  last  fight.  Until 
the  agreement  is  signed,  there's  no  breathing  space.  I'm 
really  very  glad  that  there  is  not  to  be  an  American  adviser. 
Whoever  comes  here  will  have  a  terrible  task  before  him. 
Europeans  are  much  better  content  to  hold  down  posts 
like  this,  for  the  official  'kudos'  of  it  appeals  to  them  tre- 
mendously. They  get  decorations  and  all  manner  of 
trophies." 

Prince  Tsai  Tao  lived  up  to  his  promise.  "This  after- 
noon I  saw  Prince  Tsai  Tao  again.  He  didn't  go  to  the 
Russian  ball  last  night  but  went  to  the  Regent;  and,  as  a 
result,  we  have  our  note  tonight.  It's  extraordinary,  the 
Regent  and  the  whole  crowd  working  to  keep  this  matter 
out  of  the  Foreign  Office,  so  that  it  won't  be  blocked  by 
Japanese  influence  through  Na  Tung.  Tsao  Tao  was 
as  pleased  as  a  kid  with  a  new  toy  today.  He  did  it.  As 
a  matter  of  fact  he  did — most  of  it.  My  connection  with 
him  is  about  the  best  I've  ever  made  in  China.  We  get 
along  like  hot  cakes.  It's  a  great  game,  this  trick  of 
working  the  machinery  of  government  through  the  Re- 
gent's brother,  over  the  heads  of  ministers  and  all!" 

Maurice  Casenave,  representative  of  the  French  bank- 
ers, was  enthusiastic  for  the  plan  as  outlined  and  was 
heartily  engaged  in  working  with  his  own  government 
and  Legation  to  gain  support  for  the  appointment  of  a 
neutral  adviser,  rather  than  insist  on  the  demand  it  had 
made  for  a  French  adviser.  He  and  Straight  were  work- 
ing on  close  terms  of  friendship  and  sympathy  of  ideas, 
and  it  was  largely  the  French  hacking  of  the  plan,  thus 
secured  by  Casenave,  that  brought  the  other  Europeans 
into  line. 

The  State  Department  and  the  American  Croup  ac- 
cepted the  entire  program.  "I've  been  working  all  even- 
ing on  about  the  'steenth  draft  of  the  loan  agreement," 
wrote  Straight.  "It's  awkward,  because  for  the  sake  of 
secrecy  I  don't  want  to  show  it  to  the  other  banks;  so  I 
have  to  do  it  alone,  hoping  that  when  the  time  comes  to 
sign,  if  it  ever  does,  they'll  be  so  crazy  to  come  in  anyhow 
that  they  won't  raise  objections  to  the  terms.  I'm  fairly 
safe,  for  I'm  merely  adopting  clauses  from  former  agree- 
ments. .  .  .  Meeting  of  the  bankers  this  morning,"  he 
wrote,  next  day,  "and  they  seemed  pretty  well  satisfied 
with  the  agreement  as  I've  drawn  it.     They  are  delighted 


and  I  think  very  much  surprised.  I  don't  think  they 
thought  we  could  pull  it  off.  .  .  ." 

"It's  now  nearly  three  G.  M.  All  day  with  Hillier, 
Cordes  and  Casenave,  first — and  then  with  the  Minister 
-I've  been  working  on  telegrams.  Then  home  -and 
Geare,  Gatrell  and  I  have  been  working  up  till  about 
fifteen  minutes  ago  on  our  cable.  I  hate  to  think  how 
much  it  cost — something  like  $1,400 — quite  a  pile." 

"This  afternoon  I  walked  with  the  old  man  [Minister 
Calhoun  I  on  the  wall.  There  was  a  north  wind,  fresh  and 
sharp;  the  hills  were  purple  and  clear-cut  against  the  sky; 
the  clouds  stringy,  in  the  wind,  and  burnished  by  the 
last  rays  of  the  sun;  and  the  yellow  palace-roofs  glistened." 

But  the  Chinese  were  to  make  one  last  squirm  for  re- 
lease from  any  real  advisership.  The  head  of  the  "Board 
of  Pests  and  Excommunications",  as  Straight  called  the 
Board  of  Posts  and  Communications,  had  meanwhile 
signed  a  separate  loan  with  the  Japanese  for  $.5,000,000. 
And  now  the  Chinese  refused  to  sign  the  Currency  loan, 
so  long  as  it  contained  the  "conditional  clause",  gi\'ing  the 
bankers  six  months  in  which  to  examine  the  Chinese  pro- 
gram for  currency  reform,  to  determine  before  issuing  the 
bonds,  whether  it  was  satisfactory. 

"They  have  no  intention  of  doing  more  than  making  a 
pretense  of  currency  reform,"  was  Straight's  regretful  con- 
clusion at  this  point.  "They  know  their  scheme  to  be 
weak  and  are  afraid  that,  if  they  sign  the  agreement  now, 
we  will  hold  them  to  effective  currency  reform.  So  they 
appeal  to  our  cupidity  and  hope  that  we,  in  order  to  make 
our  profit  on  the  loan,  will  pay  little  attention  to  securing 
reform.  As  a  banking  proposition  their  attitude  is  sound 
enough-  buyers  of  bonds  don't  care  whether  the  Chinese 
currency  system  is  reformed  or  not — and  we  could  un- 
doubtedly do  as  they  wish  and  make  a  profit.  But  we  look 
upon  the  agreement  as  an  instrument  that  should  enable 
us  to  force  China,  even  against  the  selfish,  narrow-minded 
bigotry  of  these  officials,  to  adopt  a  scheme  that  will  really 
make  currency  reform  effective.  We  should  rather  have  the 
whole  thing  bust  than  sacrifice  any  of  the  possibilities  of 
this  scheme,  which  means  so  much  forthefutureof  China." 

The  difference  was  settled  in  the  technical  wording  of  the 
translation  of  the  final  draft,  under  which  Straight  felt  the 
bankers  had  retained  their  position  and  the  Chinese  were 
satisfied.  The  "Currency  Reform  Loan  and  Manchurian 
Development  Loan  Agreement"  was  signed,  without  fur- 
ther quibbling,  in  April,  and  the  Hukuang  loan  in  May. 

"It  is  no  miswriting  of  current  history  to  pronounce  the 
successful  negotiation  of  China's  two  great  loans  of  1911  a 
'triumph  for  American  diplomacy',"  cabled  the  late  J.  K. 
Ohl,  correspondent  at  Peking,  to  his  paper,  the  New 
York  Herald.  "For  China,  America's  'equal  voice'  is  of 
greatest  value.  It  brings  strongly  to  her  support  the 
four  great  nations  that  now  have  a  large  and  direct  stake 
in  her  regeneration  and  development. 

"In  contributing  their  full  part  to  the  successful  com- 
pletion of  these  projects  the  representatives  of  the  four 
groups  may,  therefore,  be  said  to  have  rendered  notable 
services  not  only  to  their  principals  but  to  China  and  to 
world  progress,  since  that  which  promotes  the  welfare  of 
one-fifth  the  world's  population  nuist  necessarily  greatly 
affect  the  interests  of  all  other  nations  as  well." 

Straight  came  home  in  the  spring  of  1911.  In  Septem- 
ber, he  was  married  to  Dorothy  Whitney,  daughter  of  the 
late  William  C.  Whitney,  and  they  went  to  Peking,  ar- 
riving just  in  time  to  see  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution. 


60 


Chapter  VIll 
THE  REVOLUTION 


As  the  main  motive  force  at  Pekinp;  for  the  inter- 
national banking  group,  Williard  Straight  had,  in 
the  spring  of  1911,  concluded  written  agreements 
upon  loans  for  Manchurian  development.  Currency  re- 
form and  the  Hukuang  Railways.  Fagged  out  by  the 
months  of  daily  and  nightly  dickering,  he  was  restless  to 
get  away  from  the  East  for  a  while.  He  wanted  to  close 
up  the  unfinished  features  of  the  loan  undertakings  in 
conferences  with  the  bankers  in  Europe  and  America. 
But  there  was  another  reason  for  his  eagerness  to  leave 
Peking. 

"In  November,  1909,"  writes  his  friend,  J.  O.  P.  Bland, 
"Miss  Dorothy  Whitney,  Mrs.  Bend  and  Miss  Beatrice 
Bend  [afterward  to  become  Mrs.  Henry  P.  Fletcher! 
came  to  spend  a  fortnight  as  guests  at  the  Legation. 
After  a  week  of  sight-seeing  and  picnics  there  came  a  mem- 
orable excursion  to  the  Great  Wall  and  the  Ming  Tombs, 
at  which  the  die  of  Straight's  destiny  was  cast.  It  was  a 
very  successful  outing.  There  were  five  of  us  all  told 
Miss  Bend,  Miss  Whitney  and  Straight,  Fletcher  and 
myself.  Straight  played  the  part  of  host  in  his  usual 
princely  style.  It  was  superb  weather,  of  the  quality 
which  North  China  provides  in  the  brief  days  of  Indian 
summer.  Many  incidents  of  those  eventful  days  linger 
in  my  memory,  but  none  more  vividly  than  luncheon  in 
the  half-ruined  courtyard  of  the  tomb  of  the  Yuan  Wang. 
Bright  sunshine,  and  an  eager,  nipping  air  like  champagne 
made  the  blood  dance  in  one's  veins  and  made  one  rejoice 
in  the  simple  fact  of  being  alive.  A  little  breeze  from  the 
north  was  singing  a  song  of  the  desert  to  the  sweet-smell- 
ing pines  and  softly  covering  the  broken  pavements  with 
a  carpet  of  oak  and  locust  leaves.  All  about  us  was  the 
gentle  melancholy  of  man's  work  passing  to  oblivion  in 
silent,  inexorable  decay;  marble  bridges  collapsing  on 
their  foundations,  roofs  slowly  subsiding  beneath  their 
weight  of  years,  even  the  ancestral  tablets  of  the  mighty 
dead  all  in  disorder  and  aw-ry,  and  in  the  midst  of  them. 
Straight,  with  his  guitar,  singing  of  the  Blessed  Damozel. 
I  remember  that  the  night  before,  after  dinner  at  the 
Nankou  Hotel,  in  a  roomful  of  sleek,  foreign-garbed, 
Cantonese  railway  officials,  he  had  sung  most  of  his 
favorite  Kipling  songs,  'The  wild  hawk  to  the  wind- 
swept sky'  and  'For  to  admire  and  for  to  see';  but  from 
that  memorable  fourteenth  of  November,  his  own 
Wanderlust  was  all  in  one  direction  and  of  one  purpose." 

In  Switzerland,  in  September,  1911,  Straight  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Whitney.  In  October  they  were  in  Peking, 
where  he  was  to  w'ork  out  the  final  details  of  the  Cur- 
rency loan.  In  that  same  month  the  Revolution  broke 
out  in  Wuchang  and  spread  rapidly  over  the  Empire. 
This  upset  the  whole  Currency  reform  plan. 

The  Revolution  was  by  no  means  unexpected.  Since 
the  death  of  the  old  Empress  Dowager  nearly  three  years 
before,  the  politics  of  the  Chinese  Empire  had  been  in  a 
highly  nervous  state.  Straight  had  watched  with  keen 
interest  the  growing  unrest.  His  familiarity  with  Chinese 
character,  his  realization  of  the  ignorance  of  the  masses, 


was  calculated  to  make  him  fearful  of  popular  govern- 
ment. Moreover,  his  eagerness  to  get  his  own  work  done 
prompted  him  to  disapprove  any  movement  that  might 
throw  the  country  into  chaos.  Yet  the  corruption  of  the 
government  so  disgusted  him  that  there  were  times  when 
he  leaned  to  the  view  that  the  only  salvation  for  the  mil- 
lions of  Chinese  workers  lay  in  a  sweeping  change. 
Many  months  before  the  outbreak  he  wrote: 

"The  Senate  is  going  after  the  Grand  Council  once 
more.  If  it  doesn't  get  'em  this  time,  it  will  dissolve,  and 
then  there  will  be  an  uproar  all  over  China.  No  loans 
then,  I  can  tell  you,  for  a  long  while.  For  the  people  will 
talie  over  the  whole  show  and  it  will  be  some  time  before 
they  can  establish  a  stable  government.  I  say  this  with 
all  reserve,  for  the  more  I  hear  and  read  of  this  constitu- 
tional movement  the  less  I  hold  to  my  attitude  of  skepti- 
cism about  its  real  efficiency  and  the  more  I  believe  that  it 
is  China's  one  hope  and  a  very  good  one  at  that. 

"The  whole  country  seems  knit  together  behind  the 
provincial  assemblies  in  the  most  remarkable  manner. 
It's  all  a  growth  of  the  past  two  years,  and  is  due  largely 
to  the  spread  of  newspapers  all  over  the  Empire  and  their 
passing  from  the  fanatical  hands  of  the  returned  students 
to  the  control  of  a  much  more  sober  and  reputable  ele- 
ment, the  literati  and  merchants,  who  are  of  a  very  high 
order  of  intelligence  and  who,  though  patriotic  and  radi- 
cal, are  still  sound  and  in  many  respects  conservative. 

"The  leading  articles  in  some  of  the  Chinese  journals 
are  reniarkably  able.  One  is  always  inclined  to  doubt  the 
probable  effect  of  words  in  China,  however.  Though  no 
force  is  more  potent,  no  currency  in  the  world  is  more 
debased.  For  in  this  land,  above  all  others,  the  shadow 
has  for  years  passed  for  the  substance,  notwithstanding 
the  virile  practicality  of  the  people  in  material  things. 
The  hope  for  China  lies  in  the  fact  that  perhaps  the  people 
are  now^  for  the  first  time  realizing  the  direct  personal 
benefit  they  would  secure  if  they  were  to  rid  themselves 
of  the  mandarins  and  set  up  an  efficient  government. 

"I've  met  some  of  the  senators  and  have  been  much 
impressed  with  their  ability  and  their  conservative, 
sane  view.  The  returned  students  bark  and  holler,  but 
these  older  fellows  are  not  so  bad  and  they  may  yet  do 
great  things." 

Nevertheless,  despite  his  instinctive  sympathy  with 
the  efforts  to  overthrow  utterly  the  corrupt  imperial 
regime,  in  the  first  weeks  of  the  Revolution  Straight 
favored  a  moderate  policy — a  relinquishment  by  the 
Manchus  of  all  their  real  power  but  such  preservation  of 
the  old  form  of  government  as  would  prevent  demoraliza- 
tion and  assure  orderly  progress.  He  saw  the  answer  to 
the  problem  in  the  restoration  to  power  of  Yuan  Shih-kai 
— then  in  exile  by  a  decree  of  the  court — a  %-igorous 
administrator  who  alone,  in  Straight's  opinion,  was  ca- 
pable of  knitting  the  factions  together  and  setting  up  a 
strong,  yet  liberal,  government.  Therefore  he  urged 
upon  the  governments  represented  in  the  international 
concert  the  advisability  of  gi\-ing  Yuan  such  moral  and 


61 


"t~: 


financial  support  as  would 
"enable  him  to  conserve 
and  extend  his  authority,  as 
the  most  promising  nucleus 
for  a  responsible  govern- 
ment in  China".  He  sought 
thereby  to  forestall  what  ac- 
tually did  come  about,  what 
he  described  as  "the  organi- 
zation of  a  loosely  knitted 
federation  of  jealous  and 
mutually  antagonistic  prov- 
inces destined  to  failure  by 
reason  of  its  weakness  and 
dissensions". 

The  Manchus  did  indeed 
abdicate,  naming  Yuan  as 
legatee  of  their  tottering 
estate.  But  the  Powers  did 
not  give  Yuan  support. 
In  consequence  he  could  not 
hold  his  control  and  had  to 
compromise  with  the  revolt. 
A  republic  was  proclaimed, 
and  he  was  chosen  provi- 
sional president.  TangShao- 
yi,  Straight's  old-time  col- 
laborator of  Mukden  days, 
always  adept  at  alighting  on 
his  feet,  became  premier. 

In  that  late  fall  and  early 
winter,  the  Straights  were 
in  the  midst  of  the  excite- 
ment of  the  struggle  be- 
tween the  imperial  and  the 
republican  forces.  On  No- 
vember 17,  Straight  wrote  to 
a  friend  at  home: 

"We  have  had  a  rather 
anxious  time.  Hundreds  of 
thousands  have  left  Peking, 

and  for  days  many  of  the  shops  have  been  closed.  It's 
reported  each  afternoon  that  at  night  the  liall  will  com- 
mence, that  the  Manchus  will  massacre  the  Chinese,  or 
the  Chinese  the  Manchus,  that  the  police  and  the  division 
of  troops  stationed  here  for  the  protection  of  the  court 
have  divided  the  city  into  districts  for  looting  purposes, 
and  that,  though  foreigners  will  not  be  touched,  we  are  in 
danger  from  fires  and  stray  shots.  Hence  we  have  always 
turned  in  with  a  brace  of  revolvers  by  our  side,  a  Krag  in 
the  corner,  and  a  couple  of  rockets  to  send  up  to  call  in  a 
promised  patrol  of  twenty  marines  to  bring  us  to  the 
Legation  Quarter  if  there  is  a  row.  This  is  all  highly  in- 
teresting in  a  diary  to  be  read  years  afterward,  but  as  a 
honeymoon  experience  it's  a  bit  thick  with  excitement." 

In  January  the  Straights  got  away  for  a  vacation, 
visiting  Shanghai,  Hongkong  and  Manila  and  returning 
by  way  of  Japan,  Korea  and  Manchuria.  Says  Bland  of 
that  trip: 

"It  acted  on  Straight  like  a  tonic,  turning  his  mind  from 
the  slough  of  despond  at  Peking  to  the  world  of  men  and 
things  beyond  tho.se  gray  walls.  He  was  particularly 
impres.sed  and  cheered  by  seeing  what  America  had  ac- 
complished in  the  Philippines.  'Manila,'  he  wrote  me, 
'made    an    extraordinary    impression    ujion    me.      It    is 


J-   Uti- 


WANG-FO-TANG 


applied  Christianity  and 
nothing  else.  Whether  it 
will  be  successful  or  not,  I 
don't  know,  but  it's  a  won- 
derful experiment.  It's  al- 
truism, pure  and  simple.  For 
once  the  American  has  at- 
tempted to  make  perform- 
ance conform  to  profession, 
which  I  don't  think  he  often 
does,  for  we  are,  like  the 
Chinese,  a  nation  of  word- 
worshipers.  .  .  .  It  warmed 
the  cockles  of  my  heart  and 
gave  me  new  faith  in  the 
possibility  of  making  some 
of  our  fundamental  Amer- 
ican ideas  practical  living 
guides,  instead  of  ammuni- 
tion for  the  Fourth  of  July 
oration  of  commerce.'  " 

In  the  same  letter  Straight 
expressed  admiration  for  the 
achievements  of  the  Japa- 
nese, a  forecast  of  the  more 
tolerant  attitude  he  was  to 
assume  toward  them  in 
later  years: 

"We  came  up  through 
Korea.  Bland,  our  hats 
are  off  to  the  Japanese!  It 
may  be  all  advertisement, 
but  it's  surely  an  eff'ective 
one.  For  they  are  efficient. 
You  can't  get  away  from 
what  they  are  doing  or  do 
aught  but  admire  it.  In 
Korea  I  was  tremendously 
interested  to  hear  that  the 
natives  were  better  off  than 
ever  before,  and  it  was  not  a 
Japanese  who  told  me,  either.  They  are  beginning  to 
wake  up  from  the  lethargy  of  centuries  of  oppression  and 
are  producing,  and  making  and  saving  money  and  gain- 
ing some  self-respect,  which  in  the  old  days  was  denied 
them.  Perish  the  thought,  but  one  could  not  help  think- 
ing that  we  might  all  be  better  off  if  these  people  had 
charge  of  China's  destiny,  after  all.  They  would  make 
things  hum,  and  the  proposition  would  be  so  big  that  they 
could  not  run  in  any  monopoly  game.  And  then,  like  the 
Manchus,  they  would  be  so  corrupt  after  a  few  genera- 
tions and  so  softened  by  riches  ride  the  Osaka  division 
during  the  war  that  they  would  be  no  longer  a  military 
menace  to  the  rest  of  us  honest  folk." 

In  February,  Straight  was  back  in  Peking.  Despite 
the  agreement  arrived  at  between  the  two  factions,  the 
government  was  still  in  a  pitiful  state  of  impotence. 
In  that  month  a  mutiny  of  unpaid  troops  occurred.  The 
streets  of  the  capital  were  scenes  of  riot  and  bloodshed. 
Though  the  fighting  was  not  directed  against  foreigners, 
the  missionaries  in  their  walled  compounds  and  the 
Legation  people  in  their  Quarter  prepared  to  protect 
themselves.  The  Straights  were  among  the  compara- 
tively few  foreigners  who  were  living  in  houses  separated 
from  both  gr()U|)s.     They  were  aroused  one  evening  by 


62 


shooting  ill  the  street  near 
by,  and  soon  after  left 
their  home  to  go  to  the 
fortified  Legation  Quarter 
for  safety.  There  they 
stayed  several  days,  until 
the  mutiny  was  quelled. 

"Dr.  Morrison  of  the 
London  Timeit  came  in  to 
assure  us  there  was  no 
danger,"  wrote  Straight,  in 
relating  the  events  of  that 
night.  "He  said  that  there 
was  looting  and  street  fight- 
ing but  that  foreigners  were 
allowed  to  pass  unmolested. 
That  didn't  sound  so  cheer- 
ful, especially  as  more  fires 
had  been  started  and  the 
whole  sky  to  the  north 
seemed  ablaze,  while  the 
firing  continued  steadily. 
The  crack  of  rifles  was 
punctuated  by  the  booming 
of  field-pieces  in  the  dis- 
tance and  the  crackle  of 
machine-guns  near  by.  It 
would  have  been  folly  to 
try  to  get  through  the 
soldier-filled  streets  without 
a  foreign  guard.  We  there- 
fore sat  tight  and  dined. 
The  noise  of  the  Catlings, 
we  afterward  learned,  came 
from  the  Imperial  Palace, 
where  the  guards  had  blazed 
away  down  the  street  to 
scare  ofT  any  venturesome 
gentlemen  after  the  Palace 
treasures. 

"A  few  minutes  later  there 
voices  outside  our  compound. 


?^ 


li^^!^'> 


1/ 


m 


r 


GATE  OF  A  VILLAGE  THRESHING-FLOOR 


was  a  babble  of  many 
Then  came  the  crashing 
of  glass,  the  rip-rip  of  the  planking,  the  shock  of  rifle 
butts  on  barred  doors.  The  looters  were  at  the  silver 
shop  across  the  narrow  alley.  In  a  moment  there  was 
pounding  at  our  gate.  I  went  for  the  gate,  expecting  to 
find  a  mob  of  soldiery.  Then  came  a  voice  in  Chinese, 
'Open  the  gate;  Dr.  Morrison  is  here.'  I  thought  they 
were  after  him.  I  pulled  the  gate  open,  and  the  whole 
show  came  in  on  us.    There  was  no  troulile,  however. 

"Morrison  had  come,  with  great  kindness,  to  say  that 
he  thought  Dorothy  would  be  better  off  in  his  place, 
where  a  number  of  foreigners  were  gathered.  We  left  our 
house  and  walked  to  Morrison's  gate.  The  street  was 
bright  with  the  fire-glow.  Parties  of  from  two  to  a  dozen 
soldiers  were  walking  or  running  along,  carrying  their 
bundles  of  loot.  Every  now  and  then  they  would  stop  to 
smash  in  some  shop.  Some  carried  torches  to  light  them 
while  they  pillaged.  The  firing  continued  all  about,  but 
we  finally  reached  Morrison's  unharmed.  As  we  stood 
in  the  gate,  a  number  of  shopkeepers  begged  asylum. 
From  the  balcony  we  could  see  the  street  filled  with 
soldiers  rushing  back  and  forth.  Across  the  road  a  large 
bazar  and  a  theater  were  burning.  After  an  hour  and  a 
half,    twenty   American   marines   came   for   us   and   we 


started  out  for  the  Legation. 
Dorothy,  her  maid  in  her 
lap,  the  bags  tied  on  behind, 
piled  into  one  rickshaw  and 
we  started  at  double-time 
down  the  street  to  the 
.Vlenocals.  They  came  out 
on  horseback,  their  rick- 
shaw laden  with  bundles 
and  a  coolie,  carrying  a  blan- 
ket into  which  Menocal  had 
[iilcd  all  his  wife's  dresses. 
Ca.senave,  who  had  come  to 
see  that  we  were  all  right, 
look  part  of  our  guard  and 
went  ofT  through  some  al- 
leyways to  get  the  Patchins. 
We  reached  the  Legation  in 
.safety  and  untroubled  by 
the  gangs  of  looters." 

When  the  troops  rebelled, 
the  Manchu  princes  feared 
for  the  money  they  had 
hidden  away,  it  appeared, 
as  much  as  for  their  lives. 
One  day  Straight  received 
an  urgent  appeal  from  old 
Prince  Ching,  the  real  power 
in  Manchu  .statecraft,  to 
come  and  take  away  a  hoard 
of  gold  and  silver  coins  from 
his  residence.  Again  Case- 
nave  was  with  Straight — 
they  were  inseparable  com- 
panions in  those  days.  The 
two,  with  a  donkey-cart 
and  a  native  guard  hur- 
riedly obtained,  went  to  get 
the  treasure.  They  found 
it  hidden  away  in  chimneys, 
in  the  seats  of  sofas,  under  the  flooring,  behind  the  plas- 
tering of  the  walls.  When  it  was  piled  into  boxes,  they 
started  through  the  streets  with  it.  The  news  of  their 
mission  had  somehow  got  abroad,  a  crowd  had  gathered, 
and  every  minute  they  expected  to  be  attacked.  At  last 
they  reached  one  of  the  foreign  banks  in  the  Quarter,  and 
there,  with  plenty  of  European  and  American  soldiers 
around,  the  Prince's  coins  were  safely  deposited. 

Except  for  the  brief  period  of  the  soldiers'  mutiny, 
however,  foreigners  were  quite  safe.  Social  life  pro- 
ceeded much  as  in  normal  times.  To  the  home  of  the 
Straights  came  the  most  engaging  personalities  of  Peking 
— Manchus  and  Chinese  as  well  as  Europeans  and 
Americans.  One  of  Straight's  creations  that  winter  was 
the  Club  of  the  Purple  Cows.  The  French  Minister,  M. 
de  Margerie,  American  Minister  Calhoun  and  Mrs.  Cal- 
houn, Major  and  Mrs.  Russell,  of  the  American  Legation 
Guard,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Menocal,  M.  Casenave,  Lord 
fTrench  and  Straight  gathered  once  a  week,  at  the  house  of 
each  member  in  turn,  and  talked  (in  the  words  of  Case- 
nave,  quoting  Pico  della  Mirandola)  "de  omni  re  scibili 
ct  de  quibusdam  aliis" — that  is  to  say,  of  everything 
under  the  sun.  At  times  there  were  gay  parties  at  which 
elderly  statesmen  joined  their  younger  companions  in  all 
manner  of  frolicsome  nonsense. 


63 


The  political  chaos  in  that  winter  of  1911-1912  was 
reflected,  for  a  time,  in  a  corresponding  indecision  in  the 
Far  Eastern  policy  of  the  foreign  Powers.  While  the  out- 
come of  the  revolt  was  in  doubt,  the  question  was  to 
which  faction  money  should  be  lent.  The  natural 
tendency  of  European  diplomats  was  to  side  with  the 
Manchu  dynasty.  Sympathy  with  the  revolutionists  was 
particularly  strong  among  Americans,  both  in  the  East 
and  in  America.     Straight's  middle-ground  advice  was 


PORTRAIT   OF   A  JAPANESE   GENTLEMAN 

not  accepted,  and  the  Powers  followed  a  policy  that,  at  a 
later  date,  would  have  been  called  "watchful  waiting". 

With  the  hatchet  once  buried — the  Manchus  ousted 
and  the  Republic  proclaimed — it  was  again  time  to  talk 
of  loans.  But  now  the  term  "Currency  loan"  was  laid 
aside.  For  the  present  need  was  not  for  money  in  the 
interest  of  any  one  project.  Currency  reform  was  to  be 
on  the  program  but  the  sorest  immediate  need  of  the 
Republic  was  for  funds  for  the  routine  of  administration — 
troops,  policing  and  the  necessary  public  services.  The 
financial  aid  to  be  extended  by  the  Powers  was  hence- 
forth known  as  the  Reorganization  loan. 

Throughout  China,  government  was  demoralized. 
Many  taxes  had  been  abolished  or  suspended,  and  it  was 
impossible  to  collect  most  of  those  still  in  force. 

"During  the  Revolution  the  republican  authorities 
had  maintained  themselves  largely  by  forced  levies  or  by 
subscriptions  received  from  Chinese  residing  abroad, 
while  the  Peking  officials  and  the  army  under  their  con- 
trol had  received  nothing  save  the  few  millions  of  taels 
extracted  from  the  Palace  treasure,"  Straight  wrote. 
"It  was  imperative  that  the  coalition  government  obtain 
fund.s  at  once.  On  February  26,  1912,  the  representa- 
tives  of   the    British,    French,    German    and   American 


groups,  who  had  been  invited  to  meet  the  Chinese  au- 
thorities, agreed  immediately  to  advance  2,000,000  taels 
in  Shanghai  to  forestall  a  threatened  mutiny  of  troops 
in  Nanking. 

"On  this  occasion  Tang  Shao-yi  proposed  that  China 
borrow  from  these  groups  $300,000,000  to  be  utilized 
in  general  administrative  reorganization.  The  groups 
agreed  to  refer  this  matter  to  their  principals.  This 
marked  the  beginning  of  the  negotiations  for  the  much 
discussed  six-Power  loan." 

Tang  Shao-yi  was  not  long  in  leaving  the  government, 
whether  by  his  own  will  or  not.  He  was  succeeded  by  a 
man  in  whom  the  representatives  of  the  foreign  bankers 
had  more  confidence.  Straight  and  his  colleagues  now 
urged  upon  their  principals  the  wisdom  of  granting  a  loan. 
Their  advice  prevailed. 

"The  British,  French,  German  and  American  govern- 
ments," wrote  Straight,  "recognized  that  a  large  loan 
was  necessary  to  put  the  new  Chinese  government  on  its 
feet  and  enable  it  to  establish  its  authority.  They  be- 
lieved joint  action  in  China  would  constitute  the  most 
effective  guarantee  for  the  stability  of  the  young  Repub- 
lic. The  four  banking  groups  were  therefore  informed 
that  their  respective  governments  desired  Russian  and 
Japanese  interests  to  cooperate  in  any  loan  that  might  be 
undertaken.  President  Yuan  Shih-kai  gave  the  assurance 
that  he  would  welcome  such  participation." 

Just  how  Russia  and  Japan  came  to  be  admitted  into 
the  international  combination  is  thus  described  by  one 
who  was  at  that  time  within  the  inner  diplomatic  circle 
at  Peking: 

"The  entry  of  the  Americans  into  the  Anglo-Franco- 
German  group  had  naturally  aroused  a  lively  interest  in 
the  Russian  and  Japanese  governments.  It  had,  natu- 
rally, also,  frightened  them.  Until  then  the  combination 
was  composed  of  France,  ally  of  Russia,  of  England,  ally 
of  Japan,  and  of  Germany,  with  whom  these  two  Powers 
— who  had  a  purely  Asiatic  policy  in  China — were  on 
excellent  terms.  Russia  and  Japan  both  knew  that 
neither  France  nor  England  nor  Germany  would  oppose 
their  policy  in  Manchuria  and  Mongolia.  America  was 
quite  another  factor  in  such  a  transaction  as  this. 

"In  Petersburg  as  in  Tokyo  it  was  known  that  the 
United  States  was  entering  into  the  combination  only 
with  a  view  to  protecting  China  and  maintaining  the 
s'tatus  quo.  If  Russia  and  Japan  had  doubts  on  this 
subject,  the  proposition  for  internationalizing  the  Man- 
churian  railways,  launched  late  in  1909  by  Secretary  of 
State  Knox,  was  there  to  remove  them.  The  best 
means,  for  them,  of  defending  what  they  considered 
their  special  interests  in  the  Far  East  was  under  these 
conditions,  not  to  try  to  oppose  an  existing  combination, 
against  which  they  could  do  nothing,  but  to  come  into 
it  themselves.  This  was  the  point  of  view  held  by  the 
Russian  Legation  at  Peking,  whose  ministers  were  suc- 
cessively Mr.  Korostovetz  and  Mr.  B.  Krupiensky,  and 
by  the  man  who  had  the  financial  policy  of  Japan  in 
the  Far  East  in  charge,  Mr.  Odagiri,  administrator  of 
the  Yokohama  Specie  Bank  and  its  director  at  Peking. 
The  latter  was  a  former  diplomat,  an  excellent  Sinologue, 
who  had  spent  almost  his  whole  career  in  China,  and  a 
man  of  exceptional  intelligence  and  tact. 

"The  Russian  and  Japanese  governments  had  there- 
fore taken  steps  in  Paris  and  London  to  come  into  the 
combination  at  Peking.    Straight  had  had  frequent  con- 


64 


versations  on   this  subjeot   with   the   Russian    Minister 
and    Mr.    Odagiri.     Ol)viously    neither   the    French    nor 
the    English    Kovernment    could    refuse   the    demand    of 
its  allies,  considering  the  important  interests  that  urged 
the  latter  to  formulate  it.     But  this  was  not  the  case  with 
America,  which,  given  the  ag- 
gressive policy  of  these  two  na- 
tions, might  consider  it  with  sus- 
picion.   But  Willard  Straight's 
very  sure  judgment  gauged  the 
situation  perfectly. 

"Evidently  neither  the  Rus- 
sians nor  the  Japanese  could 
assert  a  claim  to  share  in  either 
thefinancing  or  the  construction 
of  railways,  or  even  of  public 
works,  in  China.  As  they  them- 
selves were  borrowers  abroad, 
the  condition  of  their  finances 
did  not  allow  them  to  issue 
foreign  loans.  And  their  indus- 
try was  far  from  being  consid- 
erable enough  to  allow  them 
to  export  railway  material. 
Nevertheless,  given  the  impor- 
tance of  their  political  interests 
in  the  Far  East,  they  were  jus- 
tified in  demanding  participa- 
tion in  loans  of  a  purely  political 
nature.  In  the  latter  case,  they 
would  have  to  be  allowed  to 
dispose  of  their  financial  par- 
ticipation in  the  loans,  in  for- 
eign markets,  on  a  commission 
basis  to  be  regulated  with  the 
other  Powers. 

"Such  were  the  conclusions 
that  were  reached,  after  the 
conversations  that  the  bankers' 
representatives  had  on  this  sub- 
ject with  Mr.  de  Hoyer,  who 
had  been  sent  as  financial  agent 
of  the  Russian  Group  and  of 
Mr.  Odagiri.  Straight  commu- 
nicated them  to  Mr.  Calhoun,  United  States  minister 
at  Peking,  who  procured  their  recognition  by  the  State 
Department. 

"At  the  time  of  the  discussion  of  the  loan  for  monetary 
reform,  Russia  and  Japan  had  asked  to  share  in  it,  alleg- 
ing that  it  was  a  political  loan;  their  request  had  been 
refused  for  the  reason  that  China  had  proposed  the  con- 
tract for  the  loan  before  they  themselves  had  claimed  a 
share  in  our  financial  combinations.  The  loan  that  the 
new  Chinese  republican  government  was  requesting  from 
the  Powers  had,  however,  a  definitely  political  character. 
The  participation  of  Russia  and  Japan  was  allowed  in 
this  case;  the  understanding  of  the  six  Powers  was  an 
accomplished  fact  and  negotiations  opened  on  this  basis. 

"It  was  a  lively  satisfaction  to  Straight,  because  he 
saw'  in  this  arrangement  the  complete  internationalization 
of  Chinese  affairs  that  had  been  the  object  of  his  desires 
and  his  patient  labor  for  six  years.  No  one  had  worked 
harder  than  he  for  this  end,  and  it  was  certainly  a  great 
compliment  to  him  that  the  confidence  that  his  English, 
French  and  German  colleagues  had  shown  in  him  should 


be  shared  by  his  new  Russian  and  Japanese  associates. 
For  Dr.  (ialtrell  and  he  were  delegated  to  draw  up  the 
new  contract  plan,  just  as  they  had  been  charged  before 
with  drawing  up  the  contract  for  the  Currency  loan." 
In  letters  written  in  November  and  December  of  1911, 


n"    ./.   CMoun 


WILLIAM    J.    CALHOUN    AND    WILLARD    STRAIGHT 


Photograph  Taken  in  the  American  Legation  Compound  at  Peking  During  Mr. 
Calhoun's  Service  as  American  Minister  to  China 


Straight  had  foreshadowed  the  admission  of  the  Russians 
and  Japansee  into  the  banking  combination. 

"Although  the  Japanese  are  now  attacking  Germany 
and  leaving  us  alone  for  the  time  being,  the  Russians  are 
still  damning  us.  They  claim  that  our  entry  into  the 
China  field  has  been  responsible  for  all  the  present  dis- 
orders. They  insist  that  we  are  persistently  anti-Russian; 
that  this  is  proved  by  our  hooray  about  Morgan  Shuster 
ni  Persia,  by  our  attempts  to  get  railway  concessions  in 
Turkey,  by  the  agitation  over  Jewish  passports  for  Rus- 
sia. Izwolsky  at  Paris,  the  officials  in  St.  Petersburg  and 
the  people  here  are  trying  to  play  on  French  and  Japa- 
nese susceptibilities,  to  create  suspicion  of  our  good  faith 
and  the  honesty  of  our  intentions.  It  looks  to  me  as  if  a 
serious  attempt  were  being  made  to  break  up  the  quad- 
ruple combination,  which  is  not  looked  upon  with  favor 
in  either  Russia  or  Japan.  I  fear  that  in  the  readjustment 
which  is  bound  to  follo\v  the  present  row-  we  shall  have  to 
admit  to  a  participation  in  all  Chinese  business  our  Rus- 
sian and  Japanese  friends." 

Increasing  evidence  of  the  inclination  of  the  French 


65 


and  British  to  "play  in  with"  the  Russians  strengthened 
Straight  in  this  belief.  He  tells  of  a  letter  received  from 
a  high  official  in  a  European  government  warning  his 
correspondent  in  Peking  to  "beware  of  being  led  by  Wil- 
lard  Straight  into  any  move  that  our  ally  would  not  like". 

"Blank  cusses  us  out  quite  frankly  in  this  letter,"  says 
Straight,  "and  seems  to  feel  that  we  are  to  blame  for  all 
his  troubles.  The  situation  would  not  be  serious  but  for 
the  fact  that,  judging  from  Sir  Edward  Grey's  recent 
speech,  England  as  well  as  France  regards  Russian  friend- 
ship as  all-important  in  view  of  the  growing  menace  of 
Germany.  Great  Britain  is  letting  Russia  play  horse  in 
Persia,  and  I  doubt  if  we  can  find  much  British  support 
against  either  Russian  or  Japanese  aggression  in  China." 

His  letters  and  diary  during  the  period  from  October, 
1911,  to  March,  1912,  show  how  closely  Straight  was  in 
touch  with  all  sources  of  information  about  the  course  of 
political  and  financial  affairs  in  China  and  how  command- 
ing a  part  he  played  in  the  negotiations  between  the 
Chinese  and  the  foreign  governments  on  the  subject  of 
loans.  His  friends  among  the  Chinese  were  coming  to 
him  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night  to  report  the  ups 
and  downs  of  the  republican  movement.  Through  the 
American  Legation,  where  he  was  a  trusted  adviser,  as 
well  as  through  his  European  friends,  he  was  kept  in- 
formed of  every  move  in  the  diplomatic  game.  The 
warring  factions,  each  seeking  aid  from  abroad,  sent 
their  representatives  to  him  with  pleas  for  transmission 
to  the  international  combination.  One  of  his  letters 
describes  in  detail  a  theatrically  mysterious  visit  paid  to 
him  by  General  Homer  Lea  in  company  with  a  revolu- 
tionary leader  from  the  South,  who  had  come  to  Peking 
in  disguise.     The  revolutionist  was  Dr.  Sun  Yat-sen. 

"The  General  entered  with  a  low  black  slouch  hat  over 
one  eye,  a  long  cloak  of  the  same  color  wrapped  around 
his  person,  carrying  a  wand  like  a  conductor's  baton, 
made  of  ebony  richly  chased  in  silver.  His  companion, 
the  Doctor,  was  dressed  in  an  affluent  fur  coat  and  a 
pleasing  smile.  The  General  spoke  of  the  importance  of 
his  friends  in  both  London  and  America,  and  particularly 
emphasized  Senator  Root's  desire  to  see  both  him  and  the 
Doctor  succeed.  Though  somewhat  alarmed  by  the 
General's  appearance  and  loquacity,  I  thought  it  well 
to  talk  the  matter  over  with  Addis  [one  of  the  banking 
representatives],  and  we  arranged  to  dine  with  the  latter 
at  his  house,  where  the  newspaper  reporters  were  not  apt 
to  track  the  mysterious  Doctor." 

The  object  of  the  visitors'  pilgrimage  was,  of  course,  to 
obtain  money.  They  wanted  a  million  pounds  to  begin 
with,  of  which  about  half  was  to  go  to  pay  for  rifles  and 
ammunition.  They  were  told  that  so  soon  as  they  con- 
stituted themselves  a  responsible  government  the  Powers 
would  be  glad  to  extend  them  loans. 

From  the  time  Straight  arrived  in  Peking  in  October, 
he  had  looked  forward  to  being  relieved  of  Far  Elastern 
duty  within  a  few  months  and  going  back  to  live  in  Amer- 
ica. To  this  desire  he  recurred  again  and  again  in  his 
letters  to  the  Group  in  New  York.  He  said  he  had  been 
in  the  East  ten  years  and  had  enough  of  it.  "I  haven't 
got  cold  feet  and  don't  want  to  leave  as  long  as  you  think 
it  best  for  me  to  stay,"  he  wrote  to  Henry  P.  Davison  in 
November,  "but  I  do  hope  that  you  will  tell  me  to  come 
home  once  things  are  clearer,  for  I  am  disgusted  and  sick 
to  death  of  this  whole  boiling.  Really,  I  feel  that  I  want 
to  get  out  in  sheer  disillusionment.     This  is  a  very  per- 


sonal feeling,  and  you  will  rightly  say  it  has  nothing  to 
do  with  the  Group's  desire  for  me  to  stay  here  and  see 
this  crisis  through  and  to  pull  out  of  it  what  I  can.  That, 
of  course,  I  want  to  do;  but  that  done,  I'd  like  to  beat  it 
and  not  come  back  for  many  moons.  Don't  think  that  I 
want  to  leave  before  you  are  ready  to  have  me.  I  owe 
far  too  much  to  you  personally  and  to  the  Group  to  think 
of  such  a  thing.  But  I  want  to  come  home  if  you  can  use 
me  there  or  elsewhere.  I  like  it  less  here  each  time  I 
return,  for  I  am  fed  up  on  China  and  feel  that  Fve  been 
here  long  enough  for  the  good  of  my  soul. 

"I  am  quite  willing  to  play  this  present  hand  to  a  fin- 
ish," he  wrote  just  after  Christmas,  "but  I  don't  want  to 
come  in  for  each  fresh  deal.  Special  trips  to  the  East  on 
special  work  would  of  course  be  expected.  But  I  want  to 
become  identified  with  things  at  home,  rather  than  be 
taken  permanently  as  a  Chinese  and  regarded  as  useful 
only  in  this  field.  I  want  to  leave  Peking  but  I  should 
also  like  to  continue  in  the  game  at  the  other  end,  for  I 
feel  that,  an  establishment  having  been  started  here,  a 
more  definite  and  tangible  organization  should  be  formed 
both  at  home  and  in  China." 

His  request  was  granted,  and  the  bankers  at  home  sent 
out  Frank  McKnight  to  take  over  his  work.  Straight 
left  Peking  in  the  early  spring  of  1912  and  never  returned. 

He  had  come  three  years  before,  unknown  in  big  af- 
fairs; frowned  upon  as  a  poacher  by  the  Europeans  be- 
cause of  his  mission  and  looked  upon  with  some  disdain 
because  of  his  youth.  The  three  years  had  wrought  a 
vast  difference  in  their  esteem  of  him.  The  choice  of  him 
as  their  spokesman  in  the  most  difficult  negotiations  bears 
sufficient  testimony  to  their  judgment  of  his  ability.  The 
truly  remarkable  demonstration  of  their  regret  at  his 
departure  gave  proof  of  their  friendship.  It  has  been 
related,  by  those  who  lived  in  Peking  in  those  days,  that 
hardened  intriguers  of  the  foreign  colony  could  not  keep 
their  eyes  clear  when  they  gathered  at  the  railroad  sta- 
tion to  bid  him  good-by.  The  charm  that  drew  them  to 
him  was  the  charm  of  his  youth  and  vivacity  and  ability, 
expressed  in  their  own  terms — gaiety,  wit,  keenness, 
nerve — and  based  upon  fundamental  sincerity  and 
directness.  His  aims  were  high,  but  they  were  humanized 
by  the  humor  and  the  innate  kindness  of  his  character. 

After  he  came  back  from  China,  Straight  was  connected 
with  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Company,  as  expert  on  Far  Eastern 
affairs.  In  Casenave's  words,  recalling  that  period,  "He 
continued  to  interest  himself  passionately  in  the  policy 
which  he  had  done  so  much  to  create."  He  was  the  con- 
stant adviser  of  the  American  Group.  When  he  had  been 
in  China,  the  bankers  at  home,  for  all  their  high  ability, 
had  been  of  necessity  somewhat  in  the  dark  in  directing 
his  campaign  in  Peking.  Now  at  their  elbow  was  one 
familiar  with  all  the  ins  and  outs  of  Chinese  politics  and 
finance.  When  a  cablegram  from  Peking  compelled  them 
to  make  an  important  decision,  the  bankers  found  his 
information  and  counsel  invaluable. 

Negotiations  over  the  terms  of  the  loan  dragged  on. 
As  in  the  case  of  the  Currency  loan,  the  year  before,  the 
chief  point  of  dispute  was  the  question  of  control.  The 
foreign  lenders  were  not  willing  to  turn  the  vast  amount 
of  money  over  to  the  Chinese  without  such  supervision 
as  would  prevent  theft  and  waste. 

The  foreign  banking  groups  insisted  lliat,  as  a  condi- 
tion of  the  loan,  there  should  be  a  system  of  audit  in 
which    foreigners    should    be    employed    with    executive 


66 


powers;  that  the  revenues  pledged  as  security  should  be 
collected  by  a  separate  service  like  the  customs,  under 
foreign  direction;  and  that  for  five  years  China  should 
constitute  the  lending  groups  its  financial  agents  to  assist 
the  new  government  in  its  work  of  reorganization. 

"Many  of  the  leading  men  in  Peking  have  privately 
recognized  the  wisdom  of  the  Group's  conditions,"  wrote 
Straight,  "and  the  advantages  to  be  gained  should  they 
be  accepted.  Officially,  however,  these  gentlemen  have 
not  dared  recommend  their  acceptance." 

One  who  reviews  the  six-Power  loan  project  from  the 
vantage  point  of  1921  is  struck  by  its  basic  resemblance  to 
the  Consortium  of  1920.  Yet  the  effort  of  eight  years  ago 
was  loudly  condemned,  while  the  recent  Consortium  has 
been  received  with  general  acclaim.  "Dollar  diplomacy" 
was  the  term  invented  to  give  sting  to  the  criticism  of  the 
earlier  enterprise.  It  was  charged  that  the  six-Power 
groups  were  forcing  China  to  borrow  enormous  sums, 
which  she  did  not  require;  that  the  terms  demanded  in- 
terfered with  her  administrative  independence  and 
threatened  her  territorial  integrity;  that  through  their 
machinations  the  bankers  had  obliged  their  respective 
governments  to  withhold  recognition  of  the  Chinese 
Republic  until  the  loan  had  been  concluded. 

It  was  the  acceptance  of  this  hostile  view  that  caused 
the  incoming  Democratic  administration  in  1913  to  with- 
draw governmental  support  of  the  loan.  Secretary  of 
State  William  J.  Bryan  held  a  conference  with  the  bank- 
ers' representatives  and  immediately  afterward  Prejsident 
Wilson  declared  in  a  public  statement  that  his  administra- 
tion would  not  be  a  party,  "even  by  implication",  to  the 
proposed  conditions  of  the  loan.  This  took  the  Ameri- 
cans out  of  the  combination,  and  the  six-Power  became 
the  five-Power  loan.  The  amount  finally  agreed  upon 
was  $12.5,000,000.  Later  in  the  year  1913,  the  contract 
putting  the  loan  into  effect  was  concluded  between  China 
and  the  five  Powers.  On  March  25,  1913,  a  week  after 
the  new  administration  at  Washington  announced  the 
withdrawal  of  its  support,  Straight  made  the  following 
shrewd  prophecy  in  writing  to  McKnight  in  Peking:  "I 
believe  that  the  policy  that  we  have  pursued  has  been  so 
essentially  sound  that  not  only  will  it  be  justified  by  fu- 
ture events  but  it  will  assert  itself  to  such  a  degree  that 
even  this  administration  will  be  forced  eventually  to 
adopt  more  or  less  the  methods  of  its  predecessor." 
Which  came  true  to  the  letter! 

The  war,  by  throwing  a  new  light  on  the  Far  Eastern 
problem  as  one  of  world-wide  importance,  has  obscured 
the  parallel  between  the  undertakings  of  1913  and  1920. 
The  idea  of  international  cooperation  is  the  foundation  of 
the  one  as  of  the  other.  The  ideal  that  Willard  Straight 
cherished  and  that  he  personified  was  to  give  aid  to  China 
in  such  a  way  that  she  would  preserve  her  territorial  sov- 
ereignty unimpaired  and  would  be  subjected  to  the  least 
possible  degree  of  interference  compatible  with  the  pro- 
tection of  foreign  investors.  In  so  far  as  the  Consortium 
of  1920  in  the  development  of  its  plan  follows  that  ideal, 
will  it  be  successful  in  helping  solve  the  Far  Eastern  tan- 
gle. The  switch  in  the  attitude  of  the  public  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  public  has  come  to  understand  what  those 
familiar  with  the  East  had  understood  long  before.  The 
initiation,  by  the  Wilson  administration,  of  last  year's 
Consortium  represented  a  sharp  reversal  of  policy.  The 
"dollar  diplomacy"  of  1913  became  the  "international 
cooperation"  of  1920. 


RUINS  OF  WAN  SHOU-SHAN 

Thus  triumphed  the  Far  Eastern  doctrine  of  Willard 
Straight  a  doctrine  that  he  summed  up  when  he  advo- 
cated, just  after  the  new  administration  had  repudiated 
his  scheme,  "a  diplomatic  understanding  between  the 
great  Powers,  under  which  each  is  bound  by  a  self-deny- 
ing ordinance  not  to  seek  selfish  gain  at  the  expense  of 
China  or  of  the  other  Powers". 

He  did  not  live  to  see  his  vision  realized.  He  was  a  dec- 
ade ahead  of  time.  Indeed,  it  is  remarkable  how  often, 
in  the  course  of  his  connection  with  Far  Eastern  affairs, 
fate  seemed  to  step  in  and  snatch  the  fruits  of  victory 
from  his  hand.  In  1908,  after  his  return  from  Mukden, 
when  Tang  Shao-yi  was  in  the  United  States,  the  death  of 
the  Empress  Dowager  wrecked  the  first  big  loan  plan. 
The  next  fall  Harriman's  death  threw  the  Manchurian 
railways  scheme  into  confusion.  A  few  months  later, 
the  neutralization  proposals  gave  rise  to  disastrous  diplo- 
matic complications.  The  Revolution  upset  the  Cur- 
rency loan  for  which  he  had  cleared  the  way  by  months  of 
labor.  Then,  the  most  ambitious  undertaking  of  all.  the 
cooperation  of  the  great  Powers  in  the  Reorganization 
loan,  was  defeated — at  least,  America's  participation  in 
it  was  defeated  -  by  the  decision  of  the  American  govern- 
ment in  1913.  Thus  is  presented  one  more  instance  of  a 
man's  work  winning  its  reward  only  after  his  death. 


67 


Chapter  IX 
HOME  FROM  CHINA 


WHEN  Willard  Straight  settled  down  to  live  in 
New  York,  upon  his  return  from  the  Far  East, 
in  1912,  New  York  knew  little  about  him.  But 
he  had  passed  through  the  severest  tests  that  modern 
commerce  had  to  offer,  and  they  had  prepared  him  to 
face  the  great  of  Wall  Street,  not  as  an  uncertainty,  but 
as  a  man  who  had  justified  the  trust  reposed  in  him  by  a 
group  of  America's  leading  financiers.  The  six-Power 
loan  to  China  was  still  on  the  cards,  and  for  a  while  his 
attention  was  largely  absorbed  by  that.  But  the  pro- 
nouncement of  the  new  administration,  in  March,  1913, 
abruptly  taking  America  out  of  the  si.\-Power  combina- 
tion, relieved  him  of  his  main  task.  There  was  plenty 
of  work  for  him  to  do  in  connection  with  the  Morgan 
firm's  foreign  interests,  but  his  chief  responsibility  was 
gone.  It  was  a  terrific  disappointment.  The  bottom 
had  dropped  out.  The  great  work  of  his  life  was  as 
ashes  in  h's  hand.  Yet  it  was  in  keeping  with  his  finely 
generous  quality  that  there  was  in  his  feeling  no  resent- 
ment, no  bitterness  toward  any  one.  And  it  was  quite 
characteristic  that  he  covered  the  profound  depth  of 
his  disappointment  with  a  spirit  of  humor  and  of  buoy- 
ancy. 

"Well,  anyway,"  he  wrote  his  friend  J.  O.  P.  Bland, 
"spring  is  in  the  air,  the  grass  is  good,  the  polo  ponies 
are  champing  at  the  bit — and  between  you  and  me  I'm 
not  so  damned  sorry  just  now  that  there  are  no  Chinese 
negotiations  to  worry  about  any  longer.  No  telegrams 
to  expect  on  Saturday  afternoon;  no  loan  agreements 
which  are  about  to  be  signed  every  Tuesday  morning 
and  which  are  regularly  violated  on  Thursday  afternoon; 

no  A to  rile  my  bottommost  soul;  no  Russians  and 

Japanese  to  be  cursing  as  of  yore.  There  are  these 
compensations!" 

With  all  the  crushing  effect  of  the  blow,  his  interest 
in  the  Far  East  did  not  diminish,  and  he  set  to  work  to 
attain  the  end  of  joint  international  action  in  China 
through  other  and  more  gradual  means.  The  impression 
that  his  personality  made  upon  men  interested  in  Amer- 
ica's foreign  trade  enabled  him  to  take,  at  the  very  out- 
set of  his  career  in  New  York,  a  position  of  leader- 
ship in  the  movement  to  stimulate  intercourse  with  the 
Orient. 

He  was  elected  president  of  the  American  Asiatic  y\sso- 
ciation  in  1913.  This  was  a  significant  period  in  American 
economic  history.  A  "competitive  tariff"  had  been  enacted 
and  American  business  men  were  bidden  by  a  new  Presi- 
dent to  "whet  their  wits  in  competition  with  the  wits  of 
the  world".  At  the  same  time  it  had  been  rendered  im- 
possible for  the  American  bankers  to  continue  partici- 
pation in  loans  to  China.  Industry  was  at  a  low  ebb. 
Never  was  the  need  of  foreign  markets  so  felt  in  order 
that  labor  might  be  kept  employed.  Yet  business  men 
felt  that  their  government  was  not  behind  them  in  for- 
eign enterprises.  Straight  was  anxious  that  the  Amer- 
ican Asiatic  Association  should  improve  public  under- 
standing of  Far  Eastern  questions,  particularly,  at   the 


time,  those  of  a  commercial  nature.  Two  other  organi- 
zations were  busying  themselves  with  foreign  relations — 
the  American  Manufacturers  Export  Association  and  the 
Pan-American  Society  of  the  United  States,  and  in  May 
of  1914  they  joined  with  the  American  Asiatic  Association 
in  holding  at  Washington  the  First  National  Foreign 
Trade  Convention.  Recognizing  the  need  of  a  body  to 
work  constantly  for  the  development  of  a  sound  national 
policy  in  support  of  oversea  commerce,  the  Convention 
created  the  National  Foreign  Trade  Council,  of  which 
James  A.  Farrell.  President  of  the  United  States  Steel 
Corporation  was,  and  is,  the  chairman,  and  in  which 
Straight  was  indefatigable  until  he  went  to  the  war. 
The  Council  achieved  an  influential  position.  Its  annual 
conventions  have  become  great  business  congresses. 

Straight  was  well  aware  that  America  could  never  hope 
to  make  her  influence  felt  abroad  unless  she  developed 
a  body  of  men  trained  in  foreign  affairs.  And  under  the 
term  "foreign  affairs"  he  included  both  government  and 
trade. 

"Of  course,  as  long  as  we  ourselves  are  so  young,"  he 
wrote  to  one  of  his  closest  college  friends,  who  had  become 
a  teacher,  "there  are  great  chances  at  home,  and  the 
best  element  do  not  go  abroad.  There  is  perhaps  no 
appeal  to  them  in  the  idea  of  creating  a  foreign  trade, 
working  abroad  w-hen  they  can  get  almost  the  same  pay 
at  home.  Along  with  this  attitude  is  a  general  igno- 
rance of  things  foreign. 

"Read  the  history  of  our  diplomatic  relations,  which 
is  full  of  inconsistencies,  where  we  have  demanded  full 
recognition  not  only  of  our  rights  but  of  our  privileges, 
and  failed  to  accord  just  compensation  to  those  whom 
we  ourselves  had  injured  or  imposed  upon.  Time  and 
again  we  have  demanded  our  share  in  the  international 
pie  and  refused  or  failed  to  furnish  the  fuel  for  cooking 
it  or  to  assume  any  responsibility  for  its  proper  digestion. 

"This  all  sounds  very  pessimistic.  I  am  not  a  pessi- 
mist, however,  but  the  contrary;  I  believe  that  we  can 
overcome  these  faults  if  they  be  but  recognized  and 
dealt  with  as  they  should  be.  If  we  want  to  eradicate 
the  evil  we  must  start  far  back  and  train  the  boys,  pre- 
pare them  to  go  into  the  fight  with  their  ideals  clearly 
before  them.  Then  we  can  hope  for  better  results.  The 
troulile  with  many,  it  seems  to  me,  is  that,  though  their 
ideals  may  l)e  right,  they  are  not  applied,  and  the  ten- 
dency is  in  each  separate  endeavor  to  secure  success  at 
all  costs. 

"And  it's  just  here  that  you  come  in.  I  ix'lieve  that 
you,  and  others  like  you,  can  turn  out  the  sort  of  men 
we  need,  who  will  help  the  country  al)road.  And  I  can't 
help  feeling  that  after  all  perhaps  your  work  lies  there 
rather  than  in  politics. 

"I  want  you  to  know  that  1  shall  lie  willing  when  the 
time  comes  to  do  my  part  also.  I  don't  know  that  it 
would  lie  in  teaching,  for  I  am  not  a  scholar,  as  Morse 
told  me.  For  the  present  at  least  we  do  not  need  to 
create  interests  abroad  so  much  as  we  need  to  play  a  con- 


68 


SOME   MEN  OF  EAST  ASIA:  From  the 
Original  Water^  Colors  by   Willard  Straight 


A 


Back  of  the  Buddhist  priest  of  China  lie  an  unpJiimbed  depth  of  tradition  and 
superstition  and  strange  heights  of  philosophic  contemplation.  Although  today 
his  garments  are  somewhat  stained  and  travel  worn,  the  past,  icith  its  vast 
accumulation  of  thought,  still  seems  to  lift  him  above  the  trivial  concerns  of  the 
present,  and  to  impose  upon  him  the  dignity  of  priestly  offlce.  It  was  in  the 
fourth  and  fifth  centuries  that  Buddhism  as  a  religion  spread  throughout  China, 
influencing  the  moods  of  all  men  from  the  Emperors  and  statesmen  doun  to 
the  most  miserable  coolie.  The  great  masterpieces  of  the  T'ang  and  Sung  dynas- 
ties reflect  the  philosophic  spirit  of  the  age — the  conviction  that  fame  is  but  a 
treacherous  heritage  and  glory  a  transient  nothingness,  and  that  only  in  some 
mountain  hermitage  far  from  the  world  of  men  are  peace  and  wisdom  to  be  found. 


201 


The  mule,  driver,  with,  his  padded  blue  coat  and  heavy  cloth-soled  shoes,  is,  first, 
last  and  always,  an  inveterate  gossip.  He  is  the  newspaper  of  China.  Make  an 
excursion  into  the  country  as  a  recreation  some  pleasant  spriny  day.  You  hire  a 
jaunty  little  Peking  cart,  with  a  blue  cloth  awning  and  two  little  black  gauze 
windows  in  the  sides,  through  which  you  may  peer  on  the  outer  world.  Just  in 
front  of  the  heavy  studded  wheels,  almost  on  the  shafts,  squats  the  muleteer, 
urging  on  the  donkey  with  shrill  imprecations.  Whenever  you  pass  a  vehicle  on 
the  road,  he  draws  up  to  exchange  gossip,  or  at  least  calls  over  his  shoulder  to 
ask  and  give  answer  to  the  inevitable  question:  Where  arc  you  going,  and  what 
are  you  going  to  do  when  you  get  thcref  His  one  interest  in  life  is  to  find  out 
the  business  of  other  people,  and  in  this  he  succeeds  admirably. 


204 


servative  hand  until  we  have  the  men  to  direct  and  fur- 
ther these  interests  once  they  are  established." 

Absorption  in  these  problems  led  to  the  founding  of 
the  institution  that  remains,  in  the  mind  of  down-town 
New  York,  the  outstanding  monument  to  Willard  Straight 
— India  House. 

On  one  occasion  he  made  a  visit  to  Salem,  Massachu- 
setts, where  some  of  his  ancestors  had  lived,  and  while 
there  he  went  to  see  the  famous  East  India  Marine  Hall, 
a  relic  of  the  bygone  glories  of  the  port  of  Salem.  He 
looked  at  the  treasures  that  had  been  brought  from 
every  quarter  of  the  globe  and  read  of  the  triumphs  of 
American  ships  and  American  seamen.  Then  there  took 
definite  shape  in  his  mind  an  idea  that  had  been  dimly 
hovering  there — that  there  should  be  in  New  York  an 
agreeable  gathering-place  especially  for  Americans  inter- 
ested in  foreign  trade,  in  an  environment  suggestive  of 
American  enterprise  upon  and  beyond  the  seas. 

Mr.  Farrell,  who  has  been  pronounced  the  foremost 
merchant  of  the  United  States  and  who  comes  of  sea- 
faring forebears,  was  the  man  who  received  the  suggestion 
with  most  enthusiasm  and  assurance  of  support,  and 
Straight  broached  it  before  a  company  gathered  from 
those  who  had  attended  the  National  Foreign  Trade  Con- 
vention in  Washington.  The  idea  instantly  "took".  It 
was  agreed  that  it  ought  to  be  carried  out. 

"Very  well,"  said  Straight.  "The  building  is  leased. 
The  alterations  are  in  progress.  It  remains  only  for  us 
to  organize  the  club." 

With  but  few  confidants,  and  these  the  right  ones. 
Straight  had  gone  ahead.  He  had  procured  an  old  three- 
story  building  facing  Hanover  Square,  which  had  been 
for  a  generation  the  head  office  of  W.  R.  Grace  &  Co., 
and  which  was  even  then  being  stripped  of  its  mid-cen- 
tury commonplaceness.  Architects  in  sympathy  with 
the  artistic  side  of  Straight's  nature  were  creating  an 
early  American  atmosphere  of  wide  doorways,  black  and 
white  marble  flooring,  colonial  blue  carpets  and  draperies 
and  buff  walls  hung  with  old  shipping  prints.  Later  an 
e.xceptional  collection  of  models  and  paintings  of  Ameri- 
can clipper-ships  and,  even  more  rare,  prints  of  early 
American  steamships  was  added.  Among  the  clippers 
are  the  famous  Dreadnought,  the  Ocean  Exprei<»,  the  Flij- 
in(j  Cloud,  and  the  steamers  include  Russell  and  Com- 
pany's vessels,  which  long  ago  navigated  Chinese  rivers 
under  the  American  flag,  and  the  early  liners  of  the 
Pacific  Mail.  The  collection  of  the  Asiatic  Institute 
found  a  home  in  India  House. 

The  comforts  of  the  club  are  modern,  but  its  atmos- 
phere is  that  of  the  day,  three  score  years  ago  and  more, 
when  merchant  princes  sent  their  sailing-vessels  forth, 
prayed  for  favorable  winds  and  then  gathered  to  com- 
pare notes  upon  the  success  of  their  prayers.  Only  one 
name  for  the  club  was  proposed.  "India  House"  was 
deemed  appropriate  not  only  because  it  recalled  the  days 
when  every  port  had  its  "India  Wharf"  or  "India  Street", 
but  because,  at  the  moment  when  the  thought  of  the 
nation  was  swinging  again  to  foreign  commerce,  there 
was  rich  suggestiveness  in  the  recollection  that  once  "the 
Indies"  was  the  generic  term  for  the  objective  of  venture- 
some marine  enterprise.  The  New  York  India  House, 
unlike  the  ancient  East  India  House  in  London,  made 
famous  by  Charles  Lamb,  has,  in  truth,  as  is  natural 
enough,  considering  that  India  is  a  British  colony,  less 
connection  with  India  than  with  the  rest  of  Asia. 


The  club  was  organized  in  the  early  days  of  the  war, 
when  men  were  more  disposed  to  resign  from  clubs  than 
to  join  them.  The  foreign  commerce  that  it  was  the 
announced  purpose  of  the  club  to  encourage  was  stag- 
nant. But  so  fired  with  zeal  for  the  idea  was  the  little 
group,  which,  besides  Straight  and  Mr.  Farrell,  included 
John  Foord,  E.  A.  S.  Clarke,  .Joshua  A.  Hatfield,  P.  A.  S. 
Franklin  and  James  R.  Morse,  that,  once  the  doors  were 
opened  and  merchants,  bankers,  ship-owners  and  the 
many  others  whose  activities  touched  the  sea  found 
that  the  foreign-flavored  cuisine  matched  the  artistic 
atmosphere,  a  long  waiting  list  was  created.  India  House 
immediately  became  an  institution. 

There  hangs  in  India  House  a  quaint  bronze  plaque, 
the  memorial  to  Willard  Straight  of  a  little  group  of  war 
correspondents  who  were  thrown  together  at  Ping  Yang 
in  Korea  during  the  Russo-Japanese  War.  The  I^ing 
Yannigans,  they  called  themselves.  Their  appreciation 
graven  on  this  plaque  was  reminiscent  of  the  days  of 
Straight's  singing  from  Kipling: 

"So  ivrile,  before  I  die,  '  'E  liked  it  all!'  " 

Straight's  work  was  not  confined  to  the  financial  dis- 
trict. He  became  interested  immediately  in  politics  and 
civics.  A  Republican  by  tradition,  but  temperamentally 
progressive,  he  embraced  the  insurgent  movement  of 
1912.  He  had  long  been  a  friend  and  admirer  of  Roose- 
velt, and  now  he  proclaimed  fervently  his  support  of  the 
Colonel  for  President.  This  was  not  a  popular  stand 
in  the  Wall  Street  of  that  period,  for  Roosevelt  was  re- 
garded by  the  banking  community  as  a  "dangerous  man", 
and  many  of  Straight's  closest  friends  and  associates 
frowned  upon  his  championship  of  the  Progressive  Party. 
In  1916  he  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  One  Hun- 
dred to  Support  the  Mayor,  which  was  instrumental  in 
the  reelection  of  John  Purroy  Mitchel  as  mayor  of  New 
York  City.  Straight  had  become  one  of  Mitchel's  inti- 
mates. The  two  had  much  in  common — young,  enthusi- 
astic, alive  with  energy  and  high  spirits.  The  Mayor 
came  to  look  upon  Straight  as  one  of  his  most  depend- 
able co-workers  and  drew  him  into  service  upon  sev- 
eral of  the  citizens'  committees  that  contributed  much  to 
the  success  of  the  Mitchel  administration. 

When  the  great  war  broke  out  in  1914,  Straight  was 
still  with  J.  P.  Morgan  and  Company.  Every  other  proj- 
ect yielded  then  to  the  pressure  of  new  financial  problems. 
A  broad  imagination  and  astuteness  of  the  highest  order 
were  required  to  lay  out  the  course  upon  which  J.  P. 
Morgan  and  Company  were  soon  to  embark.  Straight, 
who  went  to  Europe  with  Henry  P.  Davison  to  confer 
with  the  British  and  French  officials  and  bankers,  had 
prepared  a  memorandum  that  initiated  the  idea  through 
which  the  firm  became  purchasing  agents  for  the  Allies. 
This  was  a  magnificent  coup  and  gave  the  Morgans  an 
unequaled  prestige  in  the  realm  of  war  financing. 

Straight  was  one  of  the  company  of  Americans,  of 
which  Theodore  Roosevelt  and  Leonard  Wood  were  the 
leading  spokesmen,  who  believed  passionately  in  military 
preparedness  as  a  national  duty.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  Plattsburgers  of  1915.  Together  with  many 
of  his  friends,  including  Mayor  Mitchel,  he  spent  the 
month  of  August  at  the  camp.  In  the  year  and  a  half 
that  followed  he  never  relaxed  his  efforts  in  behalf  of 
preparedness.  Appointed  chairman  of  the  Mayor's  Com- 
mittee on  National  Defense,  he  directed  investigations 
into  the  military  status  of  the  country  and  used  the 


69 


resulting  data  as  the  basis 
of  a  vigorous  educational 
campaign.  The  Mexican 
disturbance  of  1916  gave 
him  a  peculiarly  favorable 
opportunity.  He  prepared, 
in  collaboration  with  his 
associates,  a  report  entitled 
The  Mobilization  of  the  Na- 
tional Guard,  1916,  which 
contained  information,  dis- 
closing our  military  unpre- 
paredness,  such  as  had  never 
before  been  published.  It 
concluded  with  a  recommen- 
dation for  universal  military 
training  and  it  attracted 
wide-spread  attention. 

Straight  was  absorbed  in 
the  problem  of  the  direction 
of  education  to  the  cultiva- 
tion   of    better    citizenship 

and  Herbert  Croly  was  invited  to  make  a  survey.  Out 
of  this  evolved  the  founding  of  The  New  Republic  by 
Straight  and  Mrs.  Straight,  in  1914,  with  Herbert  Croly 
as  editor.  It  was  to  be  the  instrument  for  expression 
of  liberal  opinion  and  for  education  in  public  affairs. 

Straight  did  the  unique  thing  in  journalism  in  under- 
talcing  to  finance  the  paper  while  giving  an  absolutely 
free  hand  to  its  editorial  staff.  It 
expressed  the  true  liberality  of  his 
mind  free  from  dogmatism  and  bias 
— for  frequently,  as  when  he  vigor- 
ously supported  Hughes  while  The 
New  Republic  was  backing  Wilson, 
he  was  in  direct  disagreement  with 
the  policy  of  the  paper. 

He  was  keenly  interested  in  jour- 
nalism and  two  years  later  founded 
Asia  with  his  eye  on  an  unoccupied 
journalistic  field,  which,  before  many 
years,  would  arrest  the  attention  of 
the  country.  He  undertook  to 
finance  the  entire  cost  of  develop- 
ing the  Journal  of  the  American 
Asiatic  Association  into  an  author- 
itative popular  illustrated  magazine 
for  interpreting  the  East  to  Amer- 
icans. Again  he  gave  the  same  free- 
dom of  editorial  direction.  Just  as 
the  United  States  entered  the  war, 
he  was  interesting  himself  in  the 
daily  newspaper  field. 

The  mere  laying  of  plans,  how- 
ever, the  serving  as  stimulator  of 
other  folk,  did  not  meet  the  needs 
of  Straight's  nature.  He  required 
action.  From  the  day  the  United 
States  had  been  taken  out  of  the 
six-Power  loan  he  had  been  vaguely 
dissatisfied  with  his  work.  His  per- 
sonal relations  with  J.  P.  Morgan 
and  Company  were  all  that  could 
be  wished.  But  he  felt  that  he  had 
no  definitely  important  function  to 


■^■ 


PEASANT   TYPES   FROM    A    BRETON   VILLAGE 


SUNDAY    MORNINC    IN    URITTANY 


perform.  So,  in  1915,  he 
resigned.  He  had  made  up 
his  mind  to  study  interna- 
tional law  and  had  entered 
into  a  partnership  relation 
with  J.  Reuben  Clark,  Jr., 
international  lawyer,  form- 
erly the  solicitor  of  the  State 
Department  in  the  secre- 
taryships of  Root,  Knox 
and  others.  Straight  entered 
the  School  of  Law,  Colum- 
bia University.  Soon  there- 
after, the  opportunity  for 
which  he  had  been  waiting 
came.  With  Frank  A.  Van- 
derhp  of  the  National  City 
Bank  as  the  moving  spirit, 
the  American  International 
Corporation  was  formed, 
and  a  vice-presidency  was 
offered  to  Straight.  He  ac- 
cepted. After  the  abandonment  of  American  participa- 
tion in  the  six-Power  loan,  he  had  drawn  up  a  plan  for 
just  this  sort  of  thing  and  presented  it  to  his  firm.  But 
the  time  had  not  then  been  deemed  right  and  the  idea 
was  not  taken  up.  The  A.  I.  C,  as  it  came  to  be  called, 
was  designed  as  a  vehicle  for  American  entrance  into 
foreign  development  in  engineering,  railroad  and  large 
industrial  projects  and  in  public 
finance. 

In  connection  with  Straight's 
work  with  the  A.  I.  C,  it  becomes 
pertinent  to  point  out  the  modifica- 
tion of  his  previous  attitude  toward 
Japan.  Since  the  last  winter  spent 
in  Peking  he  had  been  conscious  of 
a  gradual  change  in  his  conception 
of  Japan's  position  in  the  East. 
Always  his  sympathies  were  pro- 
foundly with  the  Chinese  as  a  people. 
He  resented  Japanese  aggrandize- 
ment at  the  expense  of  China.  He 
came,  however,  to  appreciate  more 
clearly  the  difficult  position  of  the 
Island  Empire  with  its  overcrowded 
population,  meager  natural  resources 
and  abounding,  aggressive  energy. 
He  was  opposed  to  the  imperialistic 
element,  which  was  then  dominant, 
as  it  is  now;  for  this  element  aimed, 
not  merely  to  find  undeveloped 
areas  where  Japanese  emigrants 
might  settle,  but  to  bring  those 
areas,  and  even  China  itself,  under 
the  power  of  Tokyo.  But  he  de- 
cided that  general  development 
plans,  wherein  limitations  might  be 
imposed  on  such  ambitions,  should 
not  l)e  met  with  extreme  hostility. 
As  he  looked  about  the  rest  of  the 
world  and  observed  the  perform- 
ances of  other  nations  in  territorial 
aggrandizement  at  the  expense  of 
the  weak,  he  inclined  to  the  belief 


70 


pi/*'  . •». 


1   ^5^ 


SHIPS   AND   SAILOKS  AND  AN   OLD   WIFE   OF  ROSCOFF 


that  Japan  ought  not  to  be  singled  out  for  the  r61e  of 
the  ogre. 

His  fondness  for  the  Chinese  people  never  wavered. 
But  their  governing  class — its  backing  and  filling,  eva- 
sions, broken  promises,  procrastinations  and  general 
incompetence — stirred  in  him  a  growing  disgust.  This 
set  up,  as  it  were,  a  counter  current  of  admiration  for 
the  brisk  and  businesslike  ways  of  the  Islanders.  Even 
before  leaving  China  he  had  written  to  Bland: 

"The  whole  Chinese  situation  seems  to  promise  but 
little  for  the  moribund  'Chin-Ai'.  For  ffrench's  sake, 
I  hope  that  something  may  come  of  it;  likewise  because 
I  hate  to  see  a  thing  thus  started  fall  through  for  such 
iniquitous  causes.  But,  as  for  the  beaux  yeux  des  Chi- 
nois,  my  work  is  done.  I  have  always  advocated  altruism, 
as  you  know,  and  that,  coupled  with  a  desire  to  help 
the  helpless — a  species  of  )ioblesse  oblige — has  spurred 
me  on,  despite  the  many  ideals  that  have  been  shattered, 
one  by  one,  as  I  have  dealt  more  intimately  with  the 
mandarin.  There  may  be  some  of  the  old  feeling  left. 
At  present  writing,  however,  I  am  disgusted  with  the 
corruption,  stupidity,  obstinacy,  pusillanimity,  trickery 


and,  in  short,  general  impossibility  of  the  whole  boiling. 

"Although  we  seem  to  be  nearly  at  a  settlement,  the 
pleasure  of  the  thing  is  largely  lost;  for,  instead  of  being 
able  to  regard  the  Currency  loan  as  a  great  potentiality 
in  effecting  the  regeneration  of  this  country,  one  has 
to  regard  it  as  a  loan  transaction — which  may  benefit 
trade,  it  is  true — but  which  will  be  of  little  avail  in  sa\ing 
the  empire  from  the  pirates,  who  will  secure  their  ends 
by  force,  if  indeed  they  are  not  spared  the  trouble  by 
being  able  to  get  all  they  want  through  the  knavery  and 
treachery  of  Chinese  officialdom. 

"It's  snowing  and  raining  and  generally  depressing. 
Is  it  any  wonder  then  that  I've  been  asking  myself,  with 
no  answer,  'What's  the  use,  anyway?' " 

"He  had  long  fretted,"  comments  Bland,  "under  the 
bridle  of  diplomatic  opportunism  and  polite  make-believe, 
and  he  therefore  hailed  with  delight  the  prospect  of 
tackling  the  problem  along  new  and  practical  business 
lines.  He  had  come  to  perceive,  by  close  contact  with 
the  realities  of  the  situation,  that  something  more  forci- 
ble and  direct  than  good  ad\ice  was  needed  if  China 
was  to  be  saved  from  herself,  and  in  reaching  this  eon- 


71 


elusion  he  had  come  also,  not  unnaturally,  to  regard 
the  activities  of  the  Japanese  and  the  rapidity  of  their 
'peaceful  penetration'  with  unconcealed  apprehension. 
Later  he  came  to  reahze  that  the  expansion  of  Japan 
was  a  natural  and  inevitable  phenomenon,  arising  out 
of  causes  and  forces  which  were  not  to  be  denied  by  any 
paper  conventions  or  diplomatic  demurrers,  and  which 
were  by  no  means  to  be  arrested  except  by  contact 
with  causes  and  forces  of  equal  elemental  strength." 
Those    "forces    of 


^• 


/ 


W%xU' 


A  DEALER   IN  CURIOS 


equal  elemental 
strength"  were  what 
Straight  hoped  to  see 
set  in  motion  through 
such  agencies  as  the 
A.  I.  C.  He  was  like- 
wise interested,  as  a 
director  and  prime 
mover,  in  the  expan- 
sion of  the  Pacific 
Commerical  Company 
—  then  doing  a  general 
trading  business  with 
the  Philippines — into 
China.  He  was  active- 
ly concerned  in  land 
development  schemes 
in  Manchuria. 

In  the  course  of  his 
correspondence  with 
Bland,  after  he  had 
come  to  live  in  New 
York,  Straight  once 
wrote,  in  a  satirical, 
yet  half-serious  strain: 

"Don't  think  that  I  have  become  a  cynic  and  that  the 
idealism  which  was  wont  to  throb  through  my  breast 
has  been  stifled  by  the  money-governed  atmosphere  of 
Wall  Street.  Far  from  it!  I  still  claim  to  be  a  forward- 
looking  man,  as  President  Wilson  puts  it.  My  hopes 
are  high,  my  purpose  pure,  my  aspirations  hitched  to 
the  proverbial  star,  while  my  poetic  soul  finds  the  world 
frequently  out  of  tune.  Experience  has  taught  me,  how- 
ever, that  it  is  well  to  be  content  with  the  little  things 
and  to  endeavor  to  accomplish  bit  by  bit  rather  than 
to  clamor  for  an  immediate  millennium." 

He  had  not  lost  faith  in  the  principles  of  the  big  idea 
exemplified  in  the  six-Power  loan,  but  the  "experience" 
he  referred  to  had  taught  him  that  it  was  hopeless  to 
count  upon  working  out  these  principles  during  the  next 
four  years  at  least.  His  plan  for  accomplishing  "bit 
by  bit"  was  to  begin  from  the  other  end:  namely,  the 
construction  of  an  actual  project,  a  railroad,  for  instance. 
Out  of  this,  the  principles  would  evolve. 

When  Carey  of  Siems-Carey  Railway  and  Canal 
Company  brought  from  China  assurances  of  contracts  for 
American  railroad  building  and  the  rehabilitation  of  the 
Grand  Canal,  Straight  was  keen  for  putting  them  through 
as  American  enterpri.ses.  When  the  Japanese  objected 
to  Americans  operating  in  Shantung  and  other  Powers 
in  other  parts  of  China  Straight  backed  the  idea  f)f 
partnership  with  the  Japanese  in  order  to  get  a  l)ig  piece 
of  development  work  on  its  way.  He  was  convinced 
that  arre[)tance  of  the  only  practical  opportunity  open 
for  bringing  American  capital  into  active  operation  in 


China  was   a  step   toward  the   accomplishment   of  his 
ambi:ion  for  complete  international  cooperation  in  China. 
This   partnership   with    the   Japanese   brought   down 
upon  Straight  considerable  criticism  from  some  of  his 
acquaintances,  who  declared  that  he  ought  not  thus  to 
be  dealing  with  the  enemy  of  China.     He  did  not  agree. 
He  had  by  no  means  accepted  the  Japanese  plan  gener- 
ally believed  to  have  been  proposed  by  Baron  Shibusawa, 
that  America  furnish  the  money  and  Japan  the  direction 
of  development  work  in  China.     He 
had    carefully  seen   to  it   that   the 
Japanese,   while  admitted  to  part- 
nership, held  only  a  minority  share 
in  the  project.     The  Americans  held 
control    and    American    engineers, 
using  Chinese  to  the  largest  extent 
possible,  were  to  do  the  work.     It 
came  to  be  Straight's  belief  that,  as 
a    matter    of    international    policy, 
Japan  should  be  taken  at  her  word 
and  admitted  to  equal  partnership 
in    the    maintenance    of    the    Open 
Door.    The   western   Powers  would 
accomplish   more   for   the   good   of 
China  in  that  way  than  by  keeping 
the  one  great  eastern  Power  in  the 
position  of  antagonist.    Japan  would 
be  less  dangerous  inside  than  out- 
side   the    concert    of    nations.      To 
seek   to    prohibit   her   from   taking 
part  in  developing  the  continent  of 
Asia  was  like  trying  to  seal  up  steam 
in  a  pot  while  the  fire  was  burning 
underneath.      The    most    practical 
course,  then,  was  for  America  to  go 
ahead  and  herself  practise  "peaceful  penetration":  invest 
her  money  in  railroads  and  other  improvements,  send 
her  engineers  to  devise  irrigation  and  canal  and  flood- 
control  schemes,  install  her  commercial  and  trade  emis- 
saries in  the  ports  and  big  inland  towns,  and  withal,  to 
contribute  to  the  upbuilding  of  China  through  the  ordi- 
nary channels  of  modern  enterprise. 

But,  in  this  vision  there  was  to  be  on  America's  part 
no  political  activity  of  the  sort  that  had  marked  the 
Far  Eastern  rivalry  of  the  European  Powers-  no  reach- 
ing out  after  "spheres  of  influence".  Straight  was  con- 
fident that  with  the  growth  of  education  among  the  Chi- 
nese and  the  growth  of  liberal  sentiment  in  other  countries 
it  would  be  possible  eventually  to  convert  China  from  a 
pirates'  picnic-ground  into  a  fair  field  with  no  favor. 
This  end  was  to  be  reached  by  a  gradual  progress.  Our 
entrance  into  the  war  and  Straight's  immediate  enlist- 
ment cut  ofT  his  further  participation  in  the  working  out 
of  the  Far  Eastern  problem.  During  the  war  and  since 
the  Armistice,  many  events  in  the  Orient  have  made  the 
course  before  the  United  States  much  clearer.  Straight's 
foresight  has  been  proved  and  what  he  perceived  ten 
years  ago  is  now  being  recognized  by  thinking  people 
th(>  country  over. 

The  declaration  of  war  against  Germany  took  Straight 
from  the  office  of  the  American  International  Corpora- 
tion in  the  spring  of  1917.  He  was  commissioned  a 
major  in  the  Officers  Reserve  Corps.  When  Congress 
passed  the  law  providing  for  war  risk  insurance,  more 
than  two  hundred  thousand  troops  had  already  gone  to 


72 


Europe.  The  insurance  was  purely 
voluntary,  and  an  intensive  campaign 
of  education  and  persuasion  was  re- 
quired to  lay  the  offer  before  the  men. 
This  was  fairly  simple  in  the  United 
States,  but  dilficult  in  France.  Straight 
was  called  from  Camp  Doniphan,  Ok- 
lahoma, to  undertake  it.  He  had  been 
exerting  every  influence  to  get  to 
France  in  any  capacity  for  active  serv- 
ice. He  sailed  for  Europe  toward  the 
middle  of  December  and  arrived  on 
Christmas  Day. 

Had  he  followed  the  methods  of  Reg- 
ular Army  routine,  he  would  have  regu- 
lated his  movements  upon  a  series  of 
"special  orders"-  all  of  them,  of  course, 
delayed — and  would  have  been  shunted 
from  one  headquarters  to  another 
through  a  period  of  many  months. 
Instead,  on  his  own  responsibility,  he 
arranged  with  the  Red  Cross  office  in 
Paris  to  lend  him  fifty  Ford  cars.  He 
obtained,  through  a  man  high  in  the 
councils  of  the  A.  E.  F.,  a  detail  of  a 
hundred  officers  and  enlisted  men. 
Then  the  Fords  and  their  commanders 
went  forth  from  Paris  to  the  American 
units  scattered  all  over  northern 
France.  In  two  months  the  work  was 
cleared  up — the  American  troops  were 
insured.  It  was  a  characteristically 
original  piece  of  work,  thoroughly 
planned  and  organized  and  carried 
through  with  a  whirl  that  generated  en- 
thusiasm as  it  rolled  on.  Straight  was 
then  free  for  other  assignments.  Feb- 
ruary of  1918  found  him  in  training 
at  the  A.  E.  F.  Staff  College,  Langres. 
When  he  had  finished  the  course  in 
May,  he  was  appointed  assistant  to 
G-3  (operations)  on  the  Third  Corps 
Staff  at  Remiremont.  There  he  served  under  Major- 
General  William  M.  Wright.  These  two  men,  the  trained 
soldier  and  the  neophyte  in  arms,  became  close  friends. 
They  discussed  all  manner  of  things.  In  General  Wright's 
diary  appears  an  entry  for  July  4,  as  follows:  "Straight 
says  he  will  have  peace  by  November  1.5.  I  don't  know 
what  he  bases  his  ideas  on." 

Straight  applied  for  an  assignment  to  line  duty,  and 
in  July  he  was  transferred  to  the  infantry.  But  his 
commanding  officer,  determined  not  to  let  him  go,  had 
the  order  changed  and  held  him  on  the  staff.  In  the 
latter  part  of  July  he  was  sent  to  the  battle  of  the  Aisne 
on  a  special  mission  as  observer.  The  Third  Corps  Staff 
went  with  General  Bullard,  but  Straight  remained  with 
General  Wright  in  the  Fifth  Corps.  When  the  Amer- 
ican First  Army  was  formed  in  August,  he  was  appointed 
assistant  chief  of  staff,  G-1,  First  Army,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  during  most  of  the  Meuse-Argonne  cam- 
paign. Though  unacquainted  with  military  science, 
he  brought  an  active  brain  to  bear  on  problems  new 
even  to  trained  men,  with  the  result  that,  among  his 
reports,  one  on  liaison  operations  became  a  standard 
in  use. 


MAID   IN   A  JAPANESE  INN 


In  October,  when  President  Wilson 
dispatched  Colonel  House  to  fc^urope 
to  organize  a  force  to  advise  and 
assist  the  American  peace  delegates, 
Colonel  House  found  Straight  at- 
tached to  Marshal  PVjch's  head- 
quarters and  immediately  enlisted 
him  as  one  of  his  helpers. 

"While  the  terms  of  the  Armistice 
were  under  consideration,"  writes 
Colonel  House,  "Willard  Straight 
was  in  almost  constant  communica- 
tion with  our  headquarters  in  Paris, 
advising  us  of  the  passing  of  events, 
as  reported  by  Marshal  Foch.  He 
telephoned  us  of  the  Armistice  fif- 
teen minutes  after  it  was  signed, 
and  the  news  was  sent  on  to  the 
President  at  Washington  over  a  re- 
served cable." 

At  the  request  of  Colonel  House, 
Straight  was  detailed  by  General 
Pershing  to  assist  in  the  prepara- 
tions for  the  Peace  Conference  in 
Paris.  Upon  this  role,  which  gave 
full  scope  to  his  talent  for  organi- 
zation, he  entered  with  delight.  In 
the  days  immediately  after  the  sign- 
ing of  the  Armistice-  before  the 
problems  of  peace  began  to  weigh 
and  when  the  losses  of  the  war  were 
forgotten  for  a  little  while  the 
world,  and  especially  Paris,  was  in 
high  spirits.  With  familiar  faces 
about  him,  with  stimulating  work 
and  the  prospect  of  soon  returning  to 
home  and  family,  Straight  probably 
had  rarely  spent  a  happier  fortnight. 
In  the  midst  of  it  all  he  was  struck 
down  with  bronchial  pneumonia. 
On  December  1,  1918,  he  died  at 
the  Hotel  Crillon  in  Paris. 
If  Straight  were  living  today,  the  shaping  of  events  in 
the  Orient,  the  new  philosophies  and  principles  of  inter- 
national relations  set  in  motion  by  the  war  and  the  possi- 
bilities for  applying  them  concretely,  would  assuredly 
have  continued  him  in  the  public  service.  He  had  tried 
Wall  Street  and  knew  all  that  it  meant.  It  had  added 
greatly  to  his  powers.  It  had  given  him  discipline  that 
he  valued  tremendously.  It  had  given  him  friendships 
in  the  Morgan  firm  and  others  that  were  among  his  finest 
associations.  He  looked  upon  Wall  Street,  together  with 
his  financial  experience,  with  warm  appreciation  of  what 
it  had  brought  him.  But  it  was  not  his  life.  And  he 
left  it  because  his  make-up  laid  his  path  in  other  fields. 

"For  me  as  for  other  friends  of  Willard  Straight," 
writes  J.  0.  P.  Bland,  "it  was  a  matter  for  regret  when 
the  stars  in  their  courses  led  him  into  the  fields  of  high 
finance.  Quo  fata  locant:  to  every  man  his  appointed 
way.  But  I  felt  when  Wall  Street  claimed  him,  that  its 
atmosphere  must  tend  in  time  to  dull  the  edge  of  that 
light-hearted,  keen-minded  nature  and  to  stifle  the  aspira- 
tions of  the  artist  within  him.  .  .  .  He  gave  all  his  ener- 
gies to  Wall  Street  as  he  did  to  whatever  he  undertook;  but 
there  were  often  moments,  I  believe,  when  the  wild  hawk 


\ 


73 


in  him  longed  for  the 
wind-swept  sky,  when 
he  hated  the  money- 
changers and  the 
clamor  of  the  market- 
place and  heard  the 
East  a-calling,  insidi- 
ous as  of  old. 

"The  Willard  that  I 
and  others  knew,  first 
as  a  junior  in  the  Chi- 
nese Customs  Ser\-ice 
and  then  as  Reuter's 
correspondent  during 
the  Russo-Japanese 
War,  lingers  in  one's 
memory  like  sunlight 
on  the  distant  hills. 
In  those  days,  when 
all  the  world  lay  before 
his  eager  feet,  full  of 
the  prospect  of  ro- 
mance and  high  em- 
prise, when  the  hey- 
day was  in  the  blood 
and  every  turn  of  the 
road  meant  fresh 
chances  of  adventure. 
Straight  was  an  artist, 
a  knight-errant,  a  Bo- 
hemian in  the  best 
sense  of  the  word,  a 
Peter-Pan  embodi- 
ment of  light-hearted 
joie  de  virre.  He  had 
all  the  artist's  suscep- 
tibility to  environment  and  atmosphere  and  introspective 
melancholy.  Beauty  of  form  and  color,  music  and  the 
moving  pageant  of  oriental  life  were  the  very  breath  of 
his  nostrils.  The  dignified  philosophy  of  the  Chinese, 
their  elemental  and  picturesque  simplicity,  appealed  to 
him  from  the  first  and  inspired  him  with  a  sympathy 
which  grew  as,  in  later  years,  he  realized  their  helplessness 
and  the  strength  of  the  material  forces  which  were 
steadily  invading  their  splendid  isolation." 

Those  who  knew  what  was  going  on  in  Straight's  inner 
self  in  F'rance,  saw  that  the  war  had  brought  a  resurgence 
of  this  old  spirit  of  his  first  days  in  China.  With  it, 
there  was  the  seasoned  experience  of  nearly  a  decade 
of  the  battle  in  big  affairs  he  had  been  through.  He  had 
enjoyefi  this  battle.  More  than  that  he  had  won  from  it 
the  art  of  translating  a  vision  into  terms  of  practical 
compromise  with  the  day-to-day  necessity  of  getting 
results. 

Undoubtedly  the  reconstruction  of  the  State  Depart- 
ment with  a  personnel  of  men  of  diplomatic  experi- 
ence, under  the  new  administration,  would  have  carried 
Straight  into  the  service  of  this  branch  of  the  govern- 
ment. Hi.H  friend  and  associate  in  the  beginnings  of  Amer- 
ican concern  with  (Chinese  finance,  ITenry  I'.  Fletcher,  is 
now  Under-Secretary  of  Stale.  Fred  M.  Hearing,  who  suc- 
ceeded Straight  in  the  American  International  ("orpora- 
tion,  i.s  first  assistant  secretary.  It  is  unquestional)le 
that  Straight's  broad  knowledge  of  the  field  would  have 
been  called  into  use  in  direct  bearing  upon  the  vigorous 


THE   HOUSEWIFE  AND  THE    CARTER,   PEKING 


Far  Eastern  policy 
indicated  as  under 
way  at  Washington. 
Out  of  the  melting- 
pot  of  his  experiences 
in  the  Far  East  for  a 
period  of  nearly  twen- 
ty years.  Straight,  if 
he  were  alive  today, 
would  have  derived  a 
Far  Eastern  creed,  his 
friends  believe,  in- 
volving a  full  appre- 
ciation of  Japan's  dif- 
ficulties and  a  warm 
sympathy;  an  intensi- 
fied hatred  of  the 
^f=7-     ^^M^-^^'  aggrandizing     tactics 

"'of  the  Japanese  mili- 
tarists as  their  hand 
revealed  itself  during 
the  war;  and  a  revivi- 
fying of  affection  for 
the  Chinese,  height- 
ened by  renewed 
appreciation  of  the  in- 
capacity and  corrup- 
tion of  their  govern- 
ment. He  would  have 
developed  a  deepened 
faith  in  the  spirit  of 
the  great  oriental 
peoples  and  in  the 
regenerative  f  o  r  c  e  s  ■ 
at  work  among  them. 
In  Japan,  such  are 
the  influences  now  apparent  in  the  slow  growth  of  a 
liberal  feeling,  which  will  exercise  future  restraint  upon 
the  militarist.  In  China,  salutary  impulses  are  being 
revealed  in  the  awakening  of  the  Chinese  business  man 
to  his  power  for  control  of  the  corrupt  mandarinate,  and 
in  the  intellectual  renaissance  through  which  students 
are  becoming  a  force  that  governments  have  to  reckon 
with.  By  these  hopeful  signs.  Straight  would  be  inspired 
to  yet  greater  confidence  in  the  practical  efficacy  of  the 
ideal  of  fair  treatment  for  all,  and  would  today  be  di- 
recting his  powers  to  the  application  of  such  plans  as  the 
Consortium  for  speeding  the  effects  of  the  beneficent 
forces  now  operative  in  the  East. 

On  the  day  of  his  death  Willard  Straight  was  not  yet 
forty  years  old.  There  were  intense,  spectacular  mo- 
ments in  his  life's  journey,  which  ended  that  December 
day  in  Paris.  But  there  was  plenty  of  toil  along  the 
way.  Straight,  the  eager  and  romantic,  was  a  plodder 
and  digger  whenever  there  was  need,  and  much  of  the 
time  there  was.  Capacity  for  work  and  the  love  of  it 
W'ere  the  foundation  of  his  success.  His  philosophy  was 
one  of  action.  He  had  achieved  much  and  yet  he  had 
scarcely  begun  what  undoubtedly  would  have  been  a 
brilliant  career.  His  friends  remember  him,  however, 
not  for  what  he  accomplished  or  promised  to  achieve, 
but  for  what  he  was  a  man,  broad-visioned,  warm- 
hearted and  ever  young  not  for  what  he  got  out  of  life, 
but  for  what  his  generosity  and  high  spirit  and  charm 
put  into  it. 


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